Reading Vespers Rising
by Violet911
Summary: The young Clue hunters have been held captive by three mysterious kids. The kids just want to share them some valuable information that help the Cahills mold a better future. At least, that's what the three are hoping for. For Sam's Contest.
1. The Plan And Action

**Chapter 1: The Plan And Action**

"So, which book should we read first?" pondered a teen boy.

"Isn't it obvious?" said his cousin, pointing at the image of a blue book with scattered skulls and bones with a big THE 39 CLUES coat-of-arms that was floating in mid-air by a projection from the table. "We let them read the first book. A big dduuuuuhhh!"

The boy scowled to his left, where his female obnoxious cousin was seated, as he pushed a small black button that closed the projection. The scowls, growls, and grumbles are normal reaction from him, so the girl was not affected.

But, the girl on his right was another story. She crossed her arms and gave the two a disapproving look. "Didn't you two promise me when we started this not to fight anymore? Not even a simple insult?" Saying this, the girl gave a cold stare at the other. The boy's close relative cringed by the look but slowly masked her fear by a sly smirk.

"You can't help it, you know," she replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "This dweeb and I are natural born competitors. Cahills, in fact,"

"I'm a Cahill," the disapproving girl copied her tone, "and I don't have a competitive nature."

The other girl snorted and said, "You could have fooled me." Then, she harshly patted the back of her cousin. "Or Mike here, in reality."

"Could we change back to the matters at hand, perhaps?" the boy, Mike, grunted from the hit.

"Sure," the girl on right said in enthusiastically.

"Whatever," the girl on left said blankly.

Mike, the leader of the week leaned over the glass like table top and pressed the small black button in front of him again. Pictures of several colorful books appeared out of nowhere, floating at mid-air. Technology is like that, in their time.

They were in hiding, somewhere underground (below the ocean floor, to narrow it down). The place they were currently in belongs to family friends, who were on a mission like the cousin's parents. So the adolescence boy and the two pre-teen girls used this as their home base.

"Let me explain once more, Jade," he hissed, summoning the image of the blue book with his out stretched hand. When the image landed on his palm, it materialized into the real book. He held it out so his cousin could see. "This book or the rest of the series does not explain about the Vespers or the ring."

"Every story should start from the beginning," Jade complained.

"It would take too long," Mike retorted. "They only have 5 days to stay in this realm. Cross that limit and the time in their realm will continue. Someone will bound to notice their disappearance. It will change the fabric of their reality as they know it. Did you even check the risks of what we're planning of this very moment?"

"No!" she cried, standing up to tower over her cousin. "Do you think I would think of the risks? I'm still worried about Dad, you know. And you, a good-for-nothing prat, act like you have no parents at all. Aren't you worried about . . . if . . ." She sat back down, her grief stricken face was streaming with tears.

Mike's grip on the book loosened and his mind focused more on Jade. She's been like that since she and Mike's parents are lost in the battle. There's nothing they can do but to wait for a report if they're alive or dead.

A hand touched his shoulder gently. He turned around to see his friend, Gabby, clutching her purple oval amulet with unbearable pain in her eyes. He almost forgot that her mother was murdered 3 months ago by the Vespers.

"It can't be helped," she said softly, as if she read his mind.

"I know," Mike and Jade said in a low chorus. They looked at each other in surprise, though they quickly turned away. The two relatives were used to saying things simultaneously but it was still strange. They're just first cousins, not siblings. But, recent events in their lives tell them they might as well be brother and sister.

_But I'll never admit it,_ he thought. He cleared his throat and straightened his back, regaining his composure.

"Changing the future is one of the major risks in this mission," he pointed out, getting the attention of his comrades. "Revealing other universes and the future itself is another. That's why I propose we let them read—" His hand reached out towards the book in the middle of the floating line of books. It was covered in red with a V smoke formation behind the 39 CLUES coat of arms. "The Vepers Rising. Does anyone have objections?"

Nobody said anything, so he took it that the girls agreed on what he said. For once.

"Now all of this is straightened out," he clapped his hands, "it time to take action." He stood up, followed by the girls. Sometimes, he feels like a babysitter rather than a leader.

"Voice command," Jade shouted across the room, looking like her normal self. Or normal as she'll ever be. "MT76529. Shut all power until further instructions."

On cue, the lights and the projection turned off, leaving a faint hum in the background.

"Are you ready for the extraction, Gabby?" asked Mike, handing the book to her silhouette in the pitch black. "Have you prepared what you'll read out?"

"I'm ready," she said in a ghostly whisper (bad pun), taking hold of the chosen book and the boy's wrist. Mike stiffened by the touch of her cold fingers, but realized she was only doing it for security purposes. She's afraid of the dark, after all.

_Though it's strange from someone from her parentage,_ he thought wistfully.

Mike felt another hand gripping on his other wrist. Jade grunted at his side.

"Don't even think that I'm holding you because I'm scared," the girl warned in a cool, yet deadly tone.

"It never crossed my mind," he said with a non-visible, amused smile.

Gabby tugged his sleeved and asked, "Are we going to use your way or my way to get to your house?"

He thought for a moment and answered with slightly weary tone, "Your way."

The girls' grips tightened. He closed his eyes and braced for what came next. A powerful force closed in on the three and swallowed them with no other uttered sound.

* * *

><p>A second ago, the rectangular room was deserted with its colorful furniture and white walls. The next second happened and the room was filled with very confused people in their respected seats.<p>

"Where are we? Dan, are you alright?"

"I'm not alright. I didn't get to save my _Ninja Gaiden_!"

"What the bloody—"

"My purse! Where's my purse?"

"Dan-o, what's going on?"

"Ham, we were walking Arnold—"

"—now we're here!"

"I can't see. Ned, where are you?"

"I'm right beside you! You don't have to yell!"

"I thought you two were in the clinic."

"Yo, who owns this place?"

With that question, the only red-head in the group stood up from her seat to observe her surroundings, despite the chaos her relatives are making.

She and her brother, Dan, were sitting on a black-white, curved, leather couch a second ago. From her right, there were four other identical couches but with different colors: Green, Blue, Yellow, and Red; and three tall metal stools on the left. It made a circular formation. She stared at the ceiling, walls, and floor. They're the ones giving off light. There were also no windows nor doors. There was no chance of escape.

They were being held captive.

_Maybe there's a switch, _she thought, _that could open the doorway._

And as if they read her mind, all of them scrambled to find an egress. The Cahill siblings followed suit to the Holt children, who were punching the walls for freedom.

"Team work. Team work! TEAM WORK!" they chanted, powerful fists hurtling towards the solid barrier in a motion of a torpedo. The youngest of the three, Reagan, withdrew her hand in pain, followed by her twin Madison and then the oldest one, Hamilton.

Dan gave a sympathetic pat to Hamilton. "You tried, man, but that thing is stronger than steel."

"We . . . didn't even . . . dent . . . wall," Hamilton panted, wiping the sweat that was dripping from his shark fin-like blonde hair. Even one of his sisters collapsed and the other tried to help her up.

"The other's are working on it, too," the red-headed on reassured, glancing around to her distant relative's activities.

The Lucians, Ian and Natalie Kabra, were checking the walls and floor for any cracks or levers. And obviously, Ian was checking the floor and Natalie was checking the walls. She'll never risk her nails for an easy escape, Natalie once told her in a family reunion.

The Ekaterinas were just the Starling triplets: Ned, Ted, and Sinead. They're on the couch area, searching for a switch or button or some kind of mechanism that opens a way out. But from the identical weary looks on their face, they had no luck.

Lastly, the famous gangsta Janus named Jonah Wizard. He was strangely singing for help.

"Jonah, will you shut up! Some people are trying to escape, unlike you," Natalie snapped, tapping her foot with her fists on her hips.

"I'm hoping that someone outside can hear me. You're just rubbing your considerable little hands on the wall," Jonah countered, making jazz hand movements.

Before Natalie responded, Sinead spoke up. "It's no use. From my observation,"—she pointed at Hamilton's sore red knuckles—"the walls are made from an unknown material that's super sturdy. It's probably sound proof, too. Never seen anything like it . . ."

"It must open from the outside. Am I correct, Amy?" a male British voice purred in her ear. She flinched and took a step back, facing none other than Ian Kabra. She nodded hastily and went to her brother's side.

"You okay?" asked Dan, glaring at Ian. "Did Cobra bite?"

All Amy did was look down on her feet and shake her head in disagreement. "He just said this place must open from the outside," she muttered, looking up to her dweeb of a brother's face. Curiosity filled his expression.

"Who brought us here, then?" he asked to himself in a fake sophisticated tone, while rubbing his chin like he had a goatee. "And how did he put us all in here?"

She shrugged at Dan's questions and took a risky glance at Ian, who was discussing with Ned about the interior of the circle. Ned flinched and clutched his head, moaning about too many principles of geology. She turned back to her feet, with closed eyes, and sighed.

_I thought I got over him,_ she thought. _It's already been a year since the Hunt. Can't I just have a normal life?_

She opened her eyes and noticed something totally preposterous. Under her feet, there was no shade casting from her body.

"Dan, look what happened to—"

"My shadow!" he cut Amy off with yelp of surprise. "It's gone."

Like there was infestation of rats scattering in their way, the rest of them all looked down and jump in astonishment. There was faint chill in the air.

_Probably just an open window,_ she thought.

Then she remembered there were none.

Her head rotated to where she felt cool blowing in her cheek. The shadows of all the solid objects inside the room were all gathered in one corner, swirling like a black hole. Two figures materialized from the vortex and tumble straight into the floor, with heads facedown.

"Well, that was . . ." the figure with a pinstriped suit grunted, "lovely." He got up and stared right into Amy's eyes with his own ambers.

"Ian?" she muttered. He said nothing. He just looked intently with no emotion in his face.

Then, he broke the staring contest by helping up his companion. A girl with raven hair, grey zip-up hoodie and denim pants. And it seemed that everyone just started to notice their presence.

"Whoa," Dan yelled, pointing at the Ian that was with them and the Ian that just appeared from the shadows, "Ian has a clone!" Dan's brows furrowed, looking between the two. "Or maybe it's vice versa."

They all were in shock when they saw the new comers, excluding the Kabras and the Starlings.

"Wrong, Daniel," said the Ian look alike with the exact same voice as his counterpart, looking over the skeptical Ian. It was very identical. "I'm not Ian. My name is Mike and, frankly, I could understand why you would mistake me for the Kabra heir. I'm bloody gorgeous."

He received a punch on the shoulder from his female friend. The punch didn't seem to have much force, but the boy rubbed his sore shoulder while flashing a sheepish grin. Amy clenched her fists.

"How come you look and sound like him, yo?" Jonah loud voice echoed around the room.

Mike just shrugged. "It's genetics, of course. But I'm not related to him," he said, directly looking at Ian's eyes. The Kabra boy glared back at him.

"If you want proof, ask the Ekaterinas over there," he shouted, gesturing to the Starlings, who were stunned to be called. "They can let me have a blood test with Sinead's emergency first-aid kit, after my friend leaves." He looked over at the girl, which made her blush.

"Wait, how'd you know about—" Mike silenced her with a swift hand motion. He stared coldly at all of them.

"I know all about you. Every single Cahill in this room."

The said Cahills tensed. Amy and Dan were looking at each other and knew they're thinking the same thing.

_Vesper._

But they need proof.

"Come on, Gabby," he whispered to the girl. "It's time for you to get back. Bring my cousin here in an hour from now."

She nodded and ran towards the vortex.

"And be careful," he yelled as she was enveloped by the darkness. After a minute or two, the shadows went back to their owners. Amy lifted one foot warily, thinking the ground might swallow her as well.

"Now, everyone to your seats and I'll explain," Mike instructed, taking a seat in one of the stools.

Still looking at the corner where he first appeared, they reluctantly followed his orders. He smiled at them with a happy glint his eyes as they did what he said. Then, shook his head and brought out a red book.

"Before the Starlings start taking my blood and I explain what's going on, this book is why you're all here," he said, lifting it high so everyone could see it. "It's called the _Vespers Rising._"

Everyone froze, white-chalked, especially the Cahill siblings. Amy shuddered at the thought of Switzerland.

_So, he's not a Vesper,_ she concluded her head, putting the pieces together.

"You are here to learn more about them," he continued. He slouched and examined the room. "Now, I will answer some questions. But they're all limited, mind you. If I tell you lot everything, what's the point of bring you all here?"

Natalie raised her hand. He pointed and said, "Yes, what is it?"

"Are you a Cahill?" Natalie asked, folding her arms over her blouse.

For a moment, he was caught off guard by that question. Then, he narrowed his eyes and nodded at the stylish girl.

"What branch are you, then?"

It was Ian who asked this. Mike tapped the heel of his loafers on the thick supporting bar of the stool with a small grin plastered in his face.

"My parents are from two different branches," was his only reply.

Amy could see that Ian was satisfied with the answer. She wondered how that answer could narrow it down his Cahill branch.

"If you don't mind, I'll start the first reading. Maybe the Ekats would test me later, because you'll find this starting very interesting," he said, opening the first page.

Mike cleared his throat and said, **"GIDEON CAHILL; 1507"**

Now, everyone was practically on the edge of their seats.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay. First off, this is my first "reading the books" so please give me some advice about the dialogue so it won't go OOC.**

**Second, I didn't copy this from the current fanfic with the same idea of reading the Vespers Rising. I've had this idea for a long time from constantly reading fics about reading the books (most of them are reading the Maze of Bones and The Sword Thief). Seriously, they need a good reason to read a book. It just can't be because Amy and Ian. It has to the Cahill family, the clues, and most importantly, the Vespers. (But, of course, there's still some fluff so it won't be so bad.)**

**Third, if you know me, you'd know these OCs. That's all I'm going to say. For now.**

**Please enjoy,**

**~Violet911**

**I do not own anything you've seen or heard in real life.**


	2. Gideon Part 1

**Chapter 2: Gideon Part 1**

"**Damien Vesper didn't plan killing anyone today,"** Mike read.

"So, it seems that we're starting with the man who began the evil organization we know and love today. Great," Madison summed it up sarcastically. The others glumly nodded in agreement.

**It was a fine autumn morning. A crisp wind had blown away the fog, and sunshine sparkled on the Celtic Sea.**

**In the distance, the coast of the Irish mainland stretched out lush and green. All of that land, as far as Damien could see, had been controlled by the Vesper family for centuries.**

"Man, he's that powerful," Dan marveled bitterly.

"He may own lands and people, but we have family," Amy reminded, which did not help improve his mood.

**From this island, **

"What island?" Jonah asked.

"It's off the coast of the Irish mainland," Mike reminded. "Doesn't that ring a bell to any of you?"

They thought for a moment until Sinead snapped her fingers. "The Cahill Ancestral Home."

"What's he doing on the island?" Dan asked.

"Remember," Ian called out to him, "Gideon Cahill and Damien Vesper were once friends. Gideon could've let him stay on the island."

"Bad move, Gideon," Dan muttered.

**a mile offshore, Damien couldn't see his ancestral estate-a castle he hadn't visited in over a year. He couldn't see his peasants dying or hear them crying in the stench of death. Far to the northeast, one pillar of smoke snaked into the blue sky- probably anther village being burned-but otherwise everything looked peaceful and beautiful. No sign of the Black Death.**

_How cruel, _Amy thought indignantly. _Letting your own subjects die while he's in a safe haven If that's how the founder was, what more his followers._

_And descendants, if he has any,_ she added as an after note.

**Damien sipped his mulled wine, enjoying the scent of clove and nutmeg. He found it ridiculous that in this modern age, the year 1507, he still had to flee the plague- the same sickness that had cursed Ireland in his great-great-great-grandfather's time.**

"Wow, he does care about his family, after all," Dan remarked.

"How so, Daniel?" Mike asked.

Dan ignored the Daniel part. "He said called his grandfather great three times in a row," he chuckled.

Everyone minus Mike and Hamilton, who were grinning with the comedian, rolled their eyes.

**So many advances in the sciences since then, **

Ted Starling snorted. "They weren't that advance."

**so many amazing discoveries, and still the plague hampered his plans.**

"What are these "plans" he speaks of?" Dan said, making quote gestures with his index and middle fingers on both of his hands in the air.

"Probably about world domination," Ian said bleakly.

**But no matter. The Black Death couldn't touch him here. **

"Sadly," Amy mumbled.

**He simply left his lieutenants in charge on the mainland to collect his taxes. He ignored their nervous reports about the hundreds dying each week, his peasants' annoying pleas for help.**

"He would fit right in with the Lucians," Jonah said absentmindedly, ignoring the Kabras' glares.

**He continued his work in peace, enjoying the acquisition his agents sent him for across Europe.**

**He gazed at the woodblock-panel map now adorning his wall — a beauty piece just arrived from France.**

"Surprisingly, he would've fit right in with the Janus, too," Ian mocked.

**Reports and sketches from Italy covered his desk. Damien searched the world for rare treasures and powerful secrets.**

"Sounds like the clue hunt," Reagan commented.

"How can it be?" Natalie asked. "The clues weren't hidden yet."

"Oh, ooh," Dan raised his finger, bouncing on his seat. "Maybe it's like _National Treasure 2: The Book of Secrets._ Like the City of Gold. Legends about treasure before the Cahills changed humanity."

Everyone stared at the proud, dweeb-ish figure.

"That's . . . plausible," Mike said thoughtfully.

Oh, Dan and his buried intelligence.

**Yet a single message whispered in his ear this morning by his neighbors' housekeeper might be more important than any intelligence he'd ever received.**

**Was it possible that the most powerful secret in the world, a bit of information that could help Damien realize his wildest ambitions, was hiding right under his nose?**

Dan couldn't resist. "I don't know. Have you ever checked?" Then he burst out laughing, followed by Hamilton.

"Dweeb," he brother hissed after they calmed down.

"I'm tired of you all commenting," Jonah spoke up angrily. "Just listen, okay." The Janus motioned Mike to continue.

**This morning, he intended to find out.**

**His eyes drifted to the new mosaic on his ceiling: a circle five feet in diameter depicting the Vesper coat of arms, **

"It's a trap," Ian stated.

"Shush," everybody whispered.

**but it was more than decoration.**

"See," the Kabra boy whispered.

**He's recently installed the trap for his amusement. He'd thought to try it out on some lazy servant or the next guard who fell asleep on duty. **

"I wonder what happened to the last one?" asked Dan to Amy, both shivering at their mental images.

**But now it would serve a much more important purpose. He would test his theory. If he was right, Damien Vesper might become the most powerful man in the world.**

**There was a rap at the door. His servant Balthazar stepped through, bowing low. "My lord, Gideon Cahill is here."**

"Oh, no," Amy said. They all hung onto each word spouted by their host.

**Damien smiled. He didn't plan on killing anyone today. But he did believe in being flexible.**

"**Show him in," Damien ordered.**

"Page break," Mike announced and they all let out a sigh. "We will all read this book in a counterclockwise movement." He handed the book to Dan.

"Sweet," Dan said. Amy moaned. She wanted to read it next.

"Brilliant," Natalie spoke up in a mordant manner. "More people to accompany us while we're trapped in this place."

Amy stood up and turned to where Natalie was watching. They spotted two girls in front of another black hole. It was the raven-haired girl, Gabby, from before and a blonde headed girl with pink highlights on her swept-off bangs. The new visitor was wearing a blue tank top and black jeans. She looked familiar to Amy but she's not sure why.

"Did we miss anything?" the blonde one beamed to Mike.

"Nothing much, really," Mike said, stepping off from the stool. He reached something in his left pocket and took out a golden pocket watch with a weird letter encrypted on the other side. "In fact, right on schedule."

"How can this be on schedule?" asked Gabby. "You told me to bring her here after an hour."

He let out an amused laugh. "Haven't you been with her for five months to know that she can't stay put on an order?"

"Um, yes but . . ." Her voice trailed off.

The blonde smirked. "Oh, Cousin Mike, you know me too well. I'll have to fix that later."

Mike rolled his eyes as the two girls approached him. That was Amy's chance to get a closer look at the other girl.

Mike's cousin had a well built body, yet she's very slim. She had a sly smirk plastered on her face and her green eyes squinted at Mike, like she's mocking him.

Wait, green . . . eyes?

"This obnoxious girl here," he said, gesturing his hand under the blonde's chin, "is my first cousin, Jade."

"Always honored," she bowed.

"And you all remember this girl." He pointed at the black-haired girl. She waved at them sheepishly.

"She's our trainee, Gabby," he said, smiling at her. She staggered back at the smile but nodded in agreement. Amy's fist clenched.

Only Ian noticed this.

"Now, everybody sit down," Jade ordered forceful tone, taking a seat in the left metal stool, Mike and Gabby following her example. She rubbed her thumb on her nose gave a big thumbs up towards Dan. "It's time for the awesome Dan to read."

Dan blushed. Mike growled and poked his relative's ribs with his elbow. He whispered something to her, which made the girl pout.

"Why not?" she asked aloud. She got whacked on the head by Gabby.

"OW," she cried, rubbing her sore spot. When Jade turned to Gabby, she froze and so did Mike. The small girl was giving her a horrible, cold death glare.

"The rules," Gabby hissed.

"R-right," Jade stammered. "Rules . . ."

Mike cleared his throat, fear still in his eyes. "Let's continue, shall we. Daniel?"

"It's Dan," he frowned. Dan opened the page where Mike left off and began to read.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Here you have it, folks. Next chapter. It seems crappy, yes, but that's because it is. LOL!**

**I do not own anything you've seen or heard in real life. Thank you and REVIEW!**


	3. Gideon Part 2

**Chapter 3: Gideon Part 2**

"**Gideon was dressed in his usual peasant clothes—quite unbecoming for a man of his talents,"** Dan read.

"Poor yet brilliant," Natalie said.

"I wouldn't say the same to you, Natalie," Jade sneered. Some people, as in the rest of the young Cahills, grew some respect for their blonde hostess.

_Especially young Dan,_ Amy thought, seeing her brother go all dreamy-eyed.

"Um, Dan," she whispered, snapping Dan from his gaze. "The book . . ."

"Oh, right," Dan said, blushing.

**His hair was a swirl of wild gray tufts like a bank of storm clouds. His rugged face darkened from years of brewing mixtures in a smoky laboratory. Chemicals had turned his frock into a palette of stains, and his forearms were covered with notes in Latin—reminders that Gideon would write on himself when he couldn't be bothered to find a piece of parchment.**

**Only Gideon's gold ring,**

Amy's hand flew to her wristwatch, the ring gleaming around the clock.

She looked up and noticed Mike, intensely watching her every move.

_I know all about you. Every single Cahill in this room._

Remembering what he said earlier, she looked into his amber eyes and realized he was repeating the same message.

Then . . . he smiled. And it made her blush harder than her brother.

_Stupid,_ she thought. _He's not Ian._

**a family heirloom much too fine for a peasant, marked hem as a man of worth. And his eyes – still fierce and bright as ever under bush gray brows.**

**Those eyes had first caught Damien's attention decade ago, when Gideon Cahill stood up at the Christmas feast, at Damien's own table, and dared to correct him on a point of astronomy, citing some new work by a scientist name Copernicus.**

"Who?" Hamilton asked.

"He was an astronomer. He had other occupations and beliefs but he chose astronomy," Sinead explained.

**Damien was not use to being corrected. He might have had Gideon flogged for his rudeness, but the intelligent gleam in Gideon's eyes gave him a pause.**

**He remembered thinking: **_**Here is a man I could use. Not a sheep. A man of intellect.**_

"He is brilliant," Gabby said darkly. She still looked like she was in a foul mood.

"What's wrong with her?" Amy murmured under her breath.

**After the feast, the two of them had talked into the night, discussing learned subject no one else in Vesper's miserable backwater domain could hope to understand. It had been the beginning of a rare friendship.**

"Who knew he'd have a friend?" Dan joked.

**True, that friendship had frayed since the Cahills and Vesper and his house hold had fled to this island together. Sometimes weeks would go by as Gideon secluded himself in his lab, only sending notes to Vesper's manor when he need supplies or money. If not for the Cahills' housekeeper, Maria, Damien would've been intolerably ignorant of Gideon's activities, but Maria was an imperfect spy at best.**

"Do you think she was spying on them on her own freewill?" Reagan asked nervously.

"Doubt it," Madison replied.

**The last time Damien had been startled—even concerned—by how much his friend had aged. **

Jade laughed. "Right, like he actually cares. He's just after his mind."

**Poor, noble Gideon,** **who took the plague so personally and labored like Hercules to find a cure. He had looked no better than one of Vesper's serfs, broken form years of hard fieldwork.**

**But now . . . just as the housekeeper had reported, something about Gideon Cahill had changed drastically. Gideon stood straighter. His shoulder seemed broader. Was his hair actually darker? It seemed impossible, but Gideon Cahill seemed healthier, younger.**

The people who were captive started absorbing this new information. They, of course, didn't know what the serum did to a person because no one has ever found all the clues, completed it, and drank its contents.

_Except for us, _Amy reflected, thinking back at the Gauntlet.

The only thing that explained the serum was it could make you the most powerful person in the world. Not much details. But some have theories . . .

_**He's made something in that evil laboratory of his, m'lord, **_**Maria had whispered nervously. **_**Sick for a while, he was.**_ _**But now he's changed**—**turned stronger, quicker, even his earring is uncanny! **_

"Cool," Dan shouted. "He's like a superhero!"

"There's no time for that, dweeb."

_**I heard him talking to himself about a formula, a concoction. He's taken to witchcraft, I fear. M'lord, it's not natural, the things I seen him do!**_

**Damien did not believe in witchcraft, but Maria's tone had been sufficiently alarming to get his attention. She's spied on the Cahills' household for him for years but never once come to him in such a state of panic. Now, seeing Gideon in person, Damien's suspicions deepened.**

"**My dear Gideon." Damien clasped his friend's calloused hands. "Come, you must see my new acquisition!"**

**Gideon scanned the room warily before stepping inside. Damien felt a twinge of annoyance. Another change in the past few months: Gideon seemed increasingly mistrustful, **_**actively **_**avoiding Damien's company.**

"Understandable."

**Damien couldn't abide the idea that Gideon might be hiding something.**

**He cloaked his anger with a broad smile and shepherded his friend into the study until Gideon stood just beneath the new mosaic crest on the ceiling.**

"Not a good position to be in," Ian paled, thinking back to what the previous reading said about the mosaic.

"**You see?" Damien leaned over his desk and spread out half a dozen charcoal sketches. "These are only quick studies, of course. But my agent in Florence tells me this artist, Leonardo, is a master and quite an inventor of mechanicals devices—which, as you know, are my passion. Leonardo just completed a portrait of Lisa del Giaconda.**

"Oh, so it _is_ Lisa del Giaconda," Jonah said. He let out a sigh, his hand over his chest. "I was worried it the model was going to be a dude."

"What gave you that idea?" Natalie asked, but clearly uninterested with the topic.

"Some people—"

"My peeps," Jonah stated.

"—question the model of the famous _Mona Lisa_ painting," Amy said. "They think it might be Leonardo himself in a girl form or it might be the—"

"Sis, we're not here for an art lecture," Dan pointed out, making his sister's head boil. He continued.

**He calls it the **_**Mona Lisa**_**. I thought I might commission him to do a portrait of me, and while he's here, I can pick his mind for mechanical secrets. How might that sound?"**

"**Expensive," Gideon murmured.**

**Vesper chuckled. Gideon was never easy to impress, which just made Damien more determined to impress him—even if today might be the last.**

"I think it might," Mike said.

**He pushed aside the Leonardo sketches. "Perhaps you're right. But surely you must admit this was worth the price."**

**Damien gestured grandly at his new wall map- a series of twelve woodblock panels showing the entire globe brightly painted in blue and green. "The newest, most accurate map **_**anywhere**_**, Gideon. It's an exact replica of one just commissioned in the duchy of Lorraine. Fellow named Waldseemüller created it. What do you notice?"**

**Gideon's keen eyes studied the map for no more than a heartbeat. "The new continents. He has labeled them . . . America?"**

"**Yes, after that explorer Amerigo Vespucci. Seems a silly name to me, but no matter. Our world has officially expanded, Gideon! Think of all the lands to conquer**

**All those kingdoms of savages with riches beyond imagining. Spain is already becoming wealthy, you know, bring back shiploads of gold and silver. I tell you, if a man had enough power, he could set himself up as an emperor in the New Would. It could as easily be called Vesperia, eh?"**

The Americans in the white room shuddered, if their continent _did_ rule under Vespers' control.

**Gideon frowned. "It seems to me, Damien, that we have enough trouble caring for the lands we already have. Forty-three more of our villager died this week, you know. We must find a cure to the Black Death, and I doubt the answer lies in this... America."**

**Again, Damien kept his annoyance in check. Gideon was the one who would dare speak so boldly to him. In years past, Vespers had found his honestly refreshing. He even allowed Gideon to call him by his given name.**

**But now Damien wondered if he'd allowed Gideon too much familiarity.**

_**Our **_**villagers? These lands belonged to the Vesper alone.**

"Excluding the island," Ian affirmed.

**And when had his friend become so narrow-minded? Vesper showed him the new continents full of thousands of would-be subjects—a world to be conquered—and Gideon was concerned about forty-three plague-ridden peasants.**

"He cares for people," Mike said, somehow eyeing Madison coldly. "Simple fact."

"**Well," Damien said breezily, "a cure would be admirable, of course, which is why I've provide you quite a substantial amount of funding. How goes your research?"**

**There it was again: that slight hesitation. Gideon was definitely hiding something. The look in his eyes was almost **_**fear.**_**And yet physically he seemed so full of energy, standing tall and straight. He fairly **_**radiated **_**health.**

_**A formula, a concoction**_**, the housekeeper had said. Interesting...**

"**It goes slowly," Gideon said at last. "The mercury is too poisonous. The iron solute does not balance the humors of the body as I'd hoped."**

"How come Vesper doesn't know the ingredients, if he's the one who supplied them?" Amy observed.

"He doesn't know what ingredients he used or what the quantity is," Ned replied.

**He looked up as if just noticing the mosaic crest above him. "More new artwork?**

**Damien ignored the question, though he was conscious of the trap's release button built into the floor, just a few inches from his left boot. If things went wrong, Gideon was in the perfect position.**

"I think I'm starting to agree with the older Kabra," Hamilton said forcefully.

"**Perhaps if you use live subjects," Damien suggested, "human volunteers, as I proposed—"**

"**No, Damien."**

"**We have more than enough to spare. And it would speed your work."**

"**Never."**

**Damien pursed his lips. After all this years, Gideon Cahill still mystified him. So dedicated to finding a cure, and yet he refused to do the logical thing and experiment on peasants. Unless, of course, he had already tested the cure some other way . . .**

"**Then you have no breakthrough?" Damien asked.**

**Gideon hesitated. "I have found no cure."**

"He found something better," Jade smirked.

"**Ah. But you've found something."**

**Gideon twisted his gold ring. "My lord?"**

_**So now he addresses me correctly**_**, Damien thought.**

"**I've known you for ten years, my friend," Damien said. "You area man of many talents, but deception is not among them. You are a poor lair. You found something important, using **_**my **_**fortune, using equipment and ingredients that **_**I **_**have provided from the far corners of the globe, using the refuge island as **_**my **_**territory."**

"He talks as if he's the one who deserves the credit," Amy said.

"**This island is Cahill family land, my lord," Gideon corrected, "granted to us centuries ago by the Gaelic kings.** **We invited you here, gave you the use of this manor house—"**

"**Yes, yes." Damien waved aside the technicalities. "But it is still in **_**my **_**barony, and you owe me allegiance. At the very least, you owe me the truth. What have you found?"**

**Gideon locked eyes with him, and Damien took an involuntary step back. Gideon looked terrified, but Damien realized Gideon wasn't scared of **_**him**_**. Gideon Cahill was scared of what he discovered.**

"**I would tell you, my lord," Gideon promised, "if I had discovered anything that would do you good. And believe me, I have not."**

"If I existed then, I would seriously give him deception lesson," Jade said.

"Aren't I supposed to say that?" Mike asked.

"You hardly ever lie," she answered, poking his cheek. "You're too much of a goodie-two-shoe."

He was about to argue but Dan took his cue and continued to read.

**"I see." Damien felt his pulse slowing, as it always did when he had to use force. The anticipation of violence had a calming effect on him**—**like a form of prayer. "That's unfortunate, my friend. I don't claim your skill with alchemy. But I do conduct my own research with mechanics, as you know. Unlike you, I have no problem testing my inventions on a live subject. Let me demonstrate."**

**Damien stepped on the release switch, and the ceiling above Gideon collapsed.**

**It was one of Damien's simpler creation—**

"Simple? That's simple?" Amy asked in disbelief. The other Cahills looked at _her_ in disbelief.

**but still impressive. The attic above the Vesper seal held three limestone columns set a hand's breath apart, each as thick and heavy as a ship's mast yet perfectly balanced, so that only the slightest linchpin was needed to keep them in position. At the flick of a switch, gears turned, an iron rod retraced, and the Vesper seal crumbled. The columns crashed down like the fist of God.**

**The sound was terrible. The columns shattered. Shards or rubble flew everywhere, shaking the entire manor. Underneath the collapse, Gideon should have been smashed flat.**

"Should?" Hamilton asked. "He survived then."

**Yet when the dust cleared, Damien saw Gideon Cahill standing five feet behind the wreckage, unharmed except for scraped and bleeding knuckles on his right hand.**

"Super-HERO," Dan shouted. With arms raised, he looked smug at his sister. She rolled her eyes.

_**My God**_**, Damien thought.** _**It's true. **_**Despite himself, he laughed with delight.**

**He realized his mistake too late. Gideon moved almost faster than Damien's eyes could register. In a heartbeat, he had Damien pinned to the wall, his fingers around Damien's throat. Damien was not light, but Gideon manhandled him as if he were a straw-stuffed scarecrow.**

"**You try to kill my, my lord?" Gideon's eyes flared. "Then laugh about it?"**

**For a moment, Damien was too shocked to speak. Laying hands on a noble was punishable by death, and yet Gideon—the gentle man Damien had ever met—seemed quite ready to break Damien's neck. Gideon's thumb and fingers pressed under his jaw. Damien' pulse throbbed. His vision began to darken.**

Everybody cheered.

**With a flick of his wrist, he managed to slide a knife from his sleeve, where he always kept it.**

The cheering died down.

"Well, that makes things . . . interesting," Ian simply said.

"**Is it—worth the price—Gideon?" Damien gasped, barely able to speak with his windpipe constricted. He pressed the tip of his knife gently against Gideon's ribs. "Think carefully."**

**Gideon's grip tightened. He eyes were full of murderous rage.**

"**We'll die together," Damien croaked. "But- won't end there. Your mother—in Milan. Your brother—in Dublin. Your wife and children . . ."**

"Hmm," Sinead mused.

"What is it, Sinead?" Ned asked.

"Gideon has a brother. There must be another line of Cahills that's not from the four—"

"Five," Dan corrected.

"—branches."

"It doesn't matter," Mike said firmly. "Now is not the time to think about that."

**Damien watched Gideon's face as the meaning of his word sank in. It was risky, threatening an angry man, but Damien had to remind him whom his was dealing with. Damien's network of spies and assassins extended for beyond Ireland. He had many friends and many more well-paid lackeys who would take kindly to their patron's death. Gideon knew that. If he killed Damien Vesper, the entire Cahill family would be wiped from the earth.**

"If all the Cahills were wiped off today, I'd imagine 1/18 of the population of the world would disappear," Dan said.

"That's an exaggeration," Amy said.

**There was an urgent pounding on the door. Balthazar burst in, sword down. "My lord, is everything**—**"**

"**Stay your hand!" Damien barked. He fixed his eyes on Gideon. "Everything is fine—isn't it, Gideon? A small disagreement. Nothing more."**

"Understatement," Jonah muttered.

**Damien counted to five, wondering if each heartbeat would be his last. Finally, Gideon's angry expression turned to disgust. He released his grip and stepped away.**

**Damien sheathed his dagger.**

**He swallowed, struggling for composure. "You see, Balthazar? Now leave us."**

**Balthazar looked at his master in disbelief, than at the gaping hole in the ceiling and the shattered ton of limestone on the floor, no doubt wondering how this constituted a small disagreement.**

"Isn't he the sharpest tool in the shed?" Natalie said sarcastically.

"**Y-yes, my lord," he stammered. He quickly retreated, closing the door after him.**

**Gideon kicked at the rubble, scattering mosaic tiles from the Vesper crest. "I thought better of you, Damien. I thought we were friends."**

"**But we **_**are **_**friends." Damien spoke with more ease than he felt, knowing he must turn the situation quickly. "The columns were only a test that I knew you would pass. Tell me . . . how did you dodge them?"**

"The serum," the people in the room all said in chorus.

**Gideon balled his fist. "If you threaten my family again, if you lay a hand on them—"**

"**No, no, of course," Damien said hastily. "Spoken in a moment of anger! But back to the point—no man is so agile. Your bleeding knuckles . . . you actually **_**pushed **_**one of the stones aside?"**

"Tomas part of the master serum," Hamilton stated, flexing his muscles along with his sisters. Jade giggled. Dan looked crestfallen.

**Gideon still looked ready to attack, but his civilized mature seemed to be reasserting itself, as Damien had hoped. Given a choice, Gideon Cahill would almost always choose talk over violence.**

"**I deflected a column," Gideon allowed, "**_**barely. **_**Or it would've crushed me."**

**Damien shook his head in wonder. "You instantly assessed how the stone was falling-it's mass. It's momentum, how best to apply force to change its course—"**

"**A simple calculation," Gideon grumbled. "You could do the math as well as I."**

"Ekaterina," the Starlings said.

"**But not so quickly," Damien said. "Not in a heartbeat. You demonstrated unnatural speed, strength, mental acuity . . . What has changed you, Gideon? What concoction have you made?"**

**Gideon blanched. "How . . ." His expression hardened as the truth dawned on him. "Of course—Maria."**

"**Do not be too angry with her," Damien said. "She needed the silver. And her husband . . . well, he's been a guest in my dungeon for years. She really had no choice."**

"Blackmail," Natalie said in a bored tone.

**Gideon brushed the dust from his shoulders. "I should have known," he said bitterly. "Even with me, you use spies."**

"**Your mind is agile," Damien said. "You have apparently found a way to increase you perception. But even this cannot change your fundamental nature, my friend. You are too rusting. You see the best in people. It is your most glaring weakness. Now tell, what secret have you uncovered?"**

**Gideon glowered at him. "I once believed you supported because you wanted a cure for the plague- because you wanted to help your people and build a better world."**

"**I **_**do **_**want a cure," Damien assured him. "It might safeguard my own life, for one thing. It would also be a valuable thing to sell.**

"Of course, he only thinks of himself and the benefits it could bring him," Amy murmured. "Evil."

**But what you've discovered is obviously of even greater importance. As for helping the peasants out of the goodness of my heart- please! If the Black Death had taught us anything, it is that life is cheap."**

"**It teaches us life is precious!"**

"**Bah. I am not interested in stopping death, only in . . . directing it. This cure of yours . . . well, it was potentially valuable, but now you seem to have stumbled on something quite amazing—something that could help me immensely. I am interested in weapons, my friend. Power!**_**That**_**is how I'll build a better world"**

**Slowly, Gideon's face turned waxy with horror. Damien had seen that look before on the faces of his test subjects as it slowly dawned on them that they would never be leaving his workshop. "You are truly evil."**

"Too true," Gabby said.

"**That goes too far, Gideon. Even for you. This alchemy you've discovered, the process for strengthening the mind and body—it could give me an army powerful enough to drive the English from Ireland at last. King Henry is old and weak. His lapdogs in Dublin have been powerless for years. With your formula and the weapons I'm working on, Gideon, I could invade England itself. And after that . . ." He swept his hand across his newly acquired map. "A whole world awaits."**

**Deadly silence.**

**Gideon wrapped his bleeding knuckles in the hem of his shirt. His hands were beginning to shake. Damien made a note of that, as he might with a test subject. Perhaps a side an effect of Gideon's formula? He would have to find out.**

"**Damien, I'm going home now, Gideon said."I think you should return to the mainland in the morning. You are no longer welcome on my family lands."**

**Damien felt a twinge of regret. So this is what it felt like to lose a friend. Such conversations they'd had in better times! Such excellent dinners! Peasants were easy to replace. Gideon Cahill would not be.**

"Maybe he does care. Deep, deep, deep, deep, deeep inside of him," Dan said.

"**You've known me for ten years, Gideon," he said. "Have I ever failed to get what I want?"**

**"****Good-bye, Lord Vesper."**

**"****Before I'm done, you'll wish those stones had crushed you," Damien warned.**

**Gideon met his eyes one last time, but his expression held no more anger—only disappointment—as if he dared to believe this break was Damien's fault.**

"They _were_ really close. Maybe Gideon thought Damien was better than an evil man that everyone thought he was," Ned remarked.

"A simple miscalculation," Ted continued.

**Gideon left without another word.**

**Damien cursed and overturned his desk. Secrets reports and Leonardo do Vinci sketches fluttered through the air, slowly settling in the rubble of his limestone trap.**

**Damien had tried. Truly, he had tried to reasonable. But sometimes even the best plans must change. Tonight, Balthazar might get to use his sword after all.**

"As I've assumed," Amy said, as Dan handed her the book. "This is when the Great Fire occurred."

She opened the book and began to read.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks for all the review I'm getting. You guys all rock!**

**The next chapter will be up soon so stay tuned.**


	4. Gideon Part 3

**Chapter 4: Gideon Part 3 And The Suspicious Lucian**

"**Gideon cursed himself for a fool,**" Amy read.

**He was well acquainted with Damien's ruthlessness, but he still couldn't believe his old friend had tried to kill him.**

"It's hard to handle betrayals," Amy muttered, looking over the red couch.

**Worse: Damien had tricked him into revealing his newfound skills. Gideon had had enough trouble keeping Damien in check the past ten years, quietly thwarting his efforts to gain power, using his influence to calm Damien's tempers and spare the peasants from what worst of his wrath. Now Gideon's new discovery had upset the balance. Far from being a gift, the serum could ruin everything.**

"I don't see why not," Dan retorted. "Super human strength, speed, thinking . . ."

"Dan," Amy warned.

"Yeah, I know. Don't get tempted by the awesomeness."

**Halfway across the beach, Gideon almost collapsed from a wave of nausea, worse than before. The side effects of the master serum were becoming more pronounced by the hour.**

"On second thought, I won't even try," Dan said.

**He held up his hand, his knuckles still bleeding. A few minutes ago, he had the strength to crush stone. The more he used his new abilities, the more he deteriorated.**

**He needed twenty-four hours more to complete his new variation of the serum. Perhaps this time the balance of humors would be correct, and Gideon could counteract the damage he'd done to his body . . . if he**_**had**_**twenty-four hours.**

"Is the serum . . . fatal? Like it could, you know, kill?" Amy whispered. "Didn't he perfect it?"

Dan snapped his fingers, like he struck a revelation. "That's why Gideon gave the ingredients and the serum to his kids, because he didn't perfect it yet. And maybe a part of the reason was to protect it from Vesper."

"That makes sense," Hamilton said thoughtfully, looking up at the ceiling.

"So, even if there was no Great Fire and all that, Gideon would still die?" Natalie asked.

The Madrigals solemnly nodded in agreement.

**Why couldn't Damien have waited another day before confronting him?**

**As the nausea passed, Gideon took a deep breath and tried to clear his thoughts. The morning was unseasonably pleasant. Waves washed against the rocks. Gideon could see the mainland clearly, but he knew that from the mainland, this island would not be visible.**

**He could not stand to think that this ancestral stronghold, a refuge for generations of Cahills, might soon be his grave.**

"And he's totally knows he's gonna kick the bucket but he's trying to keep his cool," Jonah said, smiling weakly. "He's the man."

**A square mile wide, the island was shaped like a cupped hand, with a palm of meadows in front and a protective curve of sheer limestone cliffs along the back like a row of fingers.**

**Despite this island's size and the heights of its cliffs, a rare combination of factors made it nearly impossible to see from a distance—a trick of the light, the way the stone and shadows mixed together, the reflective quality of the cliffs throwing back the color of the sea. Gideon's great-great grandmother Madeleine,**

"There are _two_ Madeleine?" Dan asked.

Amy shrugged. "Who knew?"

**one of the last famous Celtic warrior noblewomen, had discovered this place quite by accident, and ever though her descendants had studied science for generations since, none of them quite understood the optical illusion that caused the island disappear.**

**Unfortunately, Gideon had shared the secret location with his former friend, Lord Vesper. At the time, it had seemed like a worthwhile risk . . .**

"Because he needed someone to give him the supplies," Ian smirked. "Gideon's using him."

"Still, it's risky to use Vesper, though," Amy pointed out, not affected by his smirk. Well, maybe a little.

And that made Mike smile out of the corner of her eye.

**He looked backed at Damien's beachfront manor house—not really as fine as the Vesper family castle on the mainland but still a stately home of golden limestone and oaken beams. It had once been a simpler dwelling, the original Cahill home on the island, but Vesper had wasted no time remodeling. **

"Did he even ask permission to change it?" Dan questioned to no one in particular.

"As long as it turns out fabulous, I don't mind," Natalie said.

**He'd added a boathouse, servants' quarters, a storehouse, and a smithy. Small boats waited at the dock for the baron's pleasure. Mysterious shipments arrived as the tides allowed, making Gideon uneasy.**

"Yeah, he won't know what's inside them," Sinead said.

"Like a swords," Ned guessed.

"Javelins," Ted laughed.

"Awesome!" the three cried.

Madison raised an eyebrow. "I thought I'll never see the day . . ."

**He turned toward the back of the island-toward home. Nestled at the base of the island's cliffs stood the present Cahill manor, a simple but solid two-story oaken structure built by Gideon's grandfather. It had house three generations of Cahills. At present it sheltered everything Gideon held dear—his wife, Olivia, his children, his alchemy lab, his research.**

**A simple footpath, less than a mile long, separated the Cahills from their neighbor Lord Vesper, but the path was overgrown with weeds.** **Every time Gideon walked the distance, it seemed farther. Each time, he found it harder to pretend his friendship with the man he once admired.**

**Gideon tugged at his gold ring—a memento from his only trip abroad, many years ago, to visit his dying father in Milan. Damien believed the ring was a family heirloom. In a way, it was. Gideon's father had given it to him on his deathbed. But Gideon doubted even his father, a true genius, had understood just how terrible the ring's secret was.**

_Is it me or is this ring getting heavier?_ Amy thought, feeling the burden of protecting the ancient accessory.

"Page break," she timidly announced.

**Twenty-four hours . . . Gideon legs began to shake. He must try to finish the new variation of the serum. And he had larger priorities as well: protecting his family, protecting the secret formula. But convincing Olivia and the children would be as hard as outwitting Damien Vesper. **

"Tell me about it," Amy muttered, her eyes sweeping around the room.

**He took a deep breath and headed home.**

"Another page break," Amy said. She looked to her side and handed the book to Jonah.

He looked confused as grabbed the hard cover. "Yo, aren't you going to continue?"

Amy shook her head, ignoring the watchful stares of their hosts on her watch. "Nah, I just thought everyone should get a chance to read."

Dan tugged her shirt. "Can we eat first?" He looked at Mike, or was it Jade. "I'm starving!"

"Now that you mentioned it, little buddy," Hamilton said, patting his abdomen. "Me and team need food."

The Holt twins' stomachs simultaneously groaned.

"Manners, please," Natalie said, looking disgusted.

Gabby stepped down from her stool, her face bright as sunshine. Weird. Amy thought she was angry.

"I'll get the food," she volunteered. "Jade, would you like to come and help me?"

Jade, who has been blowing gum for the past 5 minutes, gave her a sly smile.

"Why me?" she asked. She cocked her towards her cousin. "Why not bring Mike instead? So, you two could get some alone time and maybe even . . ."

She leaned forward towards her cousin. "Kiss."

Gabby and Amy's faces were boiling at this point, but from two completely different reasons. And all Mike did was roll his eyes.

"Just go," he jeered. Jade shrugged as she stepped down.

"You're no fun anymore," she mumbled in a morose tone. She walked towards a wall, far right, before calling out to the still blushing Gabby to come over.

Snapping out of her trance, she stumbled out of her chair and trudged towards Jade. Gabby shot daggers at the blonde girl. Jade flashed an amused smile at her irritated friend.

Before anyone could utter a word, the mood in the air turned eerie. The dark silhouette under Amy's feet dispatched towards the spot where the girls were. The shadows from all the objects made another dark portal.

With one last pitiful glance at Mike, Gabby ran into the portal, dragging the other girl by the hand. After they disappeared, Mike sighed.

"Sinead," he said. "You may test my blood. Those two will take long to get our food. Mark my words."

Startled by his calm demeanor, Sinead took out her the first aid kit that was in her white shoulder bag. Amy realized that the whole bag _is _the first aid kit.

Sinead took out a syringe and some test tubes. "This won't hurt a bit."

Mike narrowed his eyes as he approached the auburn girl. "I believe what you say, but you didn't say the fact that injection you're holding is deadly. Who knew dragons dealt with the arts of the snake?

Sinead was rooted to the spot.

"How did you—" She got cut off by Mike's cold stare.

"Know that you're having Lucian poison? Easy," he said, waving it off like it's not actually important. "I saw you pick it up when you were searching the red couch."

Amy and Dan looked straight forward at the red leather couch. Ian and Natalie were stunned, and then they started patting they're pockets. Colorful vials shone brightly inside the illuminated room as they were taken out by the Kabras for a count-off.

"You see," Mike smirked, though the sneer looked forced than by pleasure. "I know all of you. I know that Natalie Kabra is now a friend of Janus girl in her school."

Natalie's cheeks flushed.

"Lies," she cried, but Jonah looked unconvinced.

"I know Jonah wants to be a pilot someday, to soar beyond his expectations and satisfy his own."

Now Jonah looked scared. Mike glanced over his shoulder, giving a steely gaze at the Holt's children.

"I know that Madison Holt submitted a letter to West Point so she could pursue her dream of blowing things up," he said through clenched teeth. Madison was unmoved, by the stare the host was giving or the questioning looks of her siblings.

Mike laughed, like this was all just some joke to him, subsequently turning towards Amy. Something changed in his eyes the moment Amy looked at him. He seemed to . . . weaken. Mike looked at Ian, then her, then Ian once more. Ian took his look-alike's gaze lightly, but Amy could imagine the gears of that Lucian's mind.

Hopefully, he's thinking of something to get us out of here.

"Is that all?" Ian muttered, unimpressed by his information spouting.

"Oh, I still have the best for last," Mike started, as the black gateway opened up yet again.

"We're back!" Jade loudly announced, pushing a large pushcart filled with food. Dan grinned but quickly faded.

Gabby was riding on her backside. She appeared to be half-asleep, with an amulet dangling from neck. Her hands were clutching something cylindrical.

Noticing their presence, Mike hurried to Gabby's side, ignoring his cousin's wide grin and the others' worried expressions. He took her arm and placed it around his shoulders.

"What happened?" he asked in alarm as he removed her from his relative's support.

Jade shrugged, perhaps feeling the weight of that girl off her back. "She got, you know, tired from getting the food. She gets tired easily, remember?"

The cousins met their eyes. Amy saw something familiar when it happened. Her jade eyes widened.

_They're speaking to each other,_ she thought.

"We will speak of that later," Mike finally spoke after a minute passed.

Jade smile redirected to the Cahills, who've been unusually silent. "Right now, it's time to eat!"

* * *

><p><em>Curious, <em>Ian thought, a crumpet entering his mouth. _Very intriguing._

This-so-called Mike was watching him again. Amy, as well. He's been doing since they began the reading session.

He was not at all surprised when his double appeared. The Janus has impersonated lots of people, including the Kabra family. Though, what did surprise him was his attitude.

His look-alike acted cheerful. And friendly, too. But he says no flattery in his tone.

If Ian acted like that, Natalie will seriously have a fit. He must be a real great actor.

Or maybe he's . . .

Ian stared at Amy, who was munching some potato chips with her obnoxious brother.

_Could she see through his mask?_

_Doesn't she realize who we're dealing with, if my hunch is correct?_

And most of the time, they are.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Here you go!  
><strong>


	5. Gideon Part 4

**Chapter 5: Gideon Part 4**

After the short snack, they were all keen to read the rest of the story.

"Let's get this over with," Ian muttered irritably. Natalie shot him a questioning look.

Mike nodded at Jonah. "Thank you for letting Gabby sit on the couch with you. She's not feeling well at the moment."

"No prob," he said, looking over his side where the black-haired girl was sleeping soundly.

When Mike took a seat on his stool, Jade giggled. "Oh, the irony."

"What's ironic?" Dan asked, looking at the weary girl.

"Gabby is a Janus," Jade said, getting a swift kick from her cousin. She winced by the hit on her ankle.

"You leaked out vital info," Mike hissed, looking suspiciously at the others.

Amy raised an eyebrow at Dan. _How is knowing someone's branch vital? _

Dan just shrugged.

"**The dining table was in the garden,**" Jonah read.

Everyone knew what table Gideon was talking about. The last thing that survived from the fire.

**For weeks, Olivia had been grumbling about the need to clean it. Apparently, she'd taken advantage of the sunny morning to do the job. She'd drafted the children to help. Gideon stopped at the edge of the apple orchard and watched, cherishing the sight of his family and dreading what he had to tell them.**

**Luke and Thomas must've carried the massive table outside. Their clothes were soaked in sweat.**

Natalie and Ian looked appalled hearing the fact that their ancestor did any _labor_. They think highly for the memory of Luke Cahill.

On the other hand, the Holts were grinning wildly at the mention of their great founder.

**Luke—one never for manual labor—winced as he picked a splinter from his palm.**

"Not much changed over time," Dan said. "Still picky."

The Kabras glowered at him. Mike just looked uncomfortable.

**He was the tallest and oldest of their children—twenty-three now, a man full grown, as he never tried to reminding them. Most young men his age would've been married with families of their own by now, but Luke was not one for domestic bliss. He gripped constantly about the sacrifices he'd made, coming home from his study at Oxford to help his parents, be truth be told, he hadn't didn't do so well at university. People outside the family tended to find him . . . unsettling.**

"Not just outside the family," Jade smirked. The Lucians redirected their glares at her.

**He had Olivia's raven hair and Gideon's furrowed brow and preoccupied scowl. His frame was long and wiry, rather snakelike,** **and in fact when he annoyed his siblings (which was often) the called him "the last snake in Ireland." Gideon chided the younger siblings when they said such things, but as much as he loved his elder son, he couldn't help agreeing there was a disquieting quality to him. He tended to creep into places where he should not be, silent and cold-eyed, always watching, ready to strike if attacked.**

Everyone but Ian and Natalie nodded in amused agreement. The Kabras looked half-annoyed and half-proud.

**His younger son, Thomas, was built more like a barrel maker of a barrel itself—stout, squat, and solid.**

The Holts stood up and started showing off they're muscles. The rest rolled their eyes after they settled down.

**Gideon had little doubt Thomas could've carried the dining table by himself, though it weighed several hundred pounds and was a good eight feet long.**

"No doubt, indeed," Amy muttered under his breath.

**Thomas was only thirteen, but he'd beaten grown men at arm wrestling and once in a fit rage had broken down a door with his head.** **His siblings joked that this had addled his wits, but Gideon did not agree. Thomas spoke rarely, and he might not be the quickest thinker, but he**_**did**_**think. Given time, he could work out almost any problem.**

"See," Hamilton said. "We're not stupid."

"No, you're just slow," Sinead mumbled.

**At the moment, he was staring with distaste at a wad of oily rags his mother had given to him.**

**"****Go on, then," Olivia commanded. "Luke, you, too. The table won't polish itself. And girls, for goodness' sake! Jane, come over here. Katherine, what are you doing?"**

**The girls were distracted as usual. Jane, the youngest at ten years old,**

Jonah frowned. _She ran away that young?_ He imagined what hardships his ancestor took in that age. During those times, girls weren't allowed to perform any arts.

**was chasing a butterfly through the chrysanthemums. Quite late in the autumn for butterflies, Gideon thought, but leave it to Jane to find one.**

That got everyone to smile. It seemed adorable to hear about a small girl luckily finding a butterfly.

**She was a wisp of a girl with long straw-colored hair and eyes that seemed to drink everything they saw. Her hand and dress were stained with paints. Gideon had to smile at that, as she shared his habit of writing notes and sketches everywhere, even on her arms and clothes.**

**Katherine, at fifteen, was different story. **

"A very different story, indeed," Dan murmured.

**She'd plopped herself down cross-legged in the cabbage patch and was fiddle with the centerpiece from the dining table—a bronze astrological globe Gideon's father had sent them from Italy years ago. As always, Katherine wore a frock and breeches like a boy. Her dark hair was cut short. She was busily disassembling the globe, her fingers working at the joints and hinges.** **Perhaps Gideon should've been angry, seeing a family heirloom destroyed** **but in truth he was surprised that it lasted this long. Katherine took apart everything, **

Ted sheepishly grinned. "I used to that, too. Until Mom threatened to take away my blueprints."

**and Gideon understood. He'd been the same way at her age.**

**He stepped out from the shadows of the apple orchard, and Olivia noticed him first. As always, he caught his breath when their eyes met.**

All the girls cooed.

**No matter that they'd been married twenty-five years. She was as beautiful and formidable as ever—her long curly hair still black as midnight, her green eyes still piercing. **

Amy smile glowed. Ian was fixated by her beam, though she didn't notice.

**Gideon often reflected that the children got their best quality from Olivia. She saw value and beauty in even the smallest things, like Jane.**

Jonah's face looked smug.

**She could fix nearly anything, like Katherine.**

The Starlings added, "We can invent, to boot."

**If her family was threatened, she could be as dangerous as a coiled viper, like Luke.**

Ian and Natalie looked at each other but said nothing. Mike tried to mask his smile.

**And like Thomas, she was strong willed and stubborn enough to break down any door— although she didn't need to use her head.**

"But using your head is much more fun," Madison complained. The others looked at her uncertainly.

**One of her stern looks was usually quite sufficient.**

**She blew a strand of hair from her face and set her hands on her hips. "Well, Gideon Cahill. If you're done chatting with His Lordship, perhaps you'll help me with the unruly mob."**

"Hey," they all yelled. Mike shushed them all.

"Sleeping girl here," he whispered, pointing at Gabby.

**"****Papa!" Jane beamed, holding up her cupped hands, in which she caught the butterfly. "Look what I found! May I paint its wings?"**

**"****No, child." Gideon tried to repress a smile. "It would hurt the poor creature."**

**Jane pouted. "But I can make him more colorful."**

**Katherine snorted, glancing up for her disassembled heirloom. "Don't be silly Jane. You and your 'art' will destroy the world."**

"Hey, not true, man," Jonah retorted.

**"****Will not! And I'm not sill, am I, Luke?"**

**Gideon found it strange how much Jane adored her oldest brother, **

The Kabras and Jonah looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

"That's weird," Dan remarked. "I thought all had grudges with each other."

"Doubt they all hated each other in the beginning," Amy answered him. "And they would obviously have a favorite sibling."

"Still, it's freaky when you hear it today."

"Agreed," Natalie, Ian, and Jonah simultaneously said. Except Jonah said a "yo" in the end.

**but then again, she could see the smallest good in even the most unlikely places.**

"The smallest good in even the most unlikely place," Amy repeated quietly, glancing at Ian.

**Despite his look of utter distasted for being here, in the bright sunlight, doing physical labor with his family—Luke managed a dismissive shake of the head. "No, Jane, dear. Your art, at least, never left something valuable in pieces."**

**Katherine's ears turned read. "I'll put it back together!"**

**"****Like you did with the miller wheel last year?" Luke asked. "We had no flour for a month."**

**Thomas stepped towards him, pushing up his sleeves. He might've been ten years younger than Luke, but that had never stopped Thomas from a fight. "Leave her alone, Luke."**

The Holts kids and the Starlings did the same as the Kabras and Jonah.

"Like I said before," Dan said, folding his arms. "Freaky."

"I don't get it," Reagan admitted.

"The Tomas and Ekaterinas have the biggest grudge against each other," Ned said. "So it meant that one of them betrayed the other. That would make it more fight between them more horrible because they're so close."

**"****Stop it!" Olivia ordered. "I won't have this at the dinner table."**

**It was absurd comment, and the dinner table was in the garden, but the children became quiet. They were used to their mother's cardinal rule: no fighting at the table. This was their neutral ground, their only place of peace.**

"And protection," Amy said wearily, remembering the Gauntlet.

**"****Now," Olivia continued, "we need to get this table cleaned. And no more fighting." She looked at Gideon for support.**

**"****Your mother is right," he said. "But first . . . gather 'round children. I have something important to tell you."**

"Here it comes," Jonah muttered.

**His tone must've been graver than he realized, because none of them argued. Jane let the butterfly go. Katherine set down the globe. The boys stepped away from each other warily. All of them approached the table, instinctively arranging themselves at their usual spots for dinner.**

**"****Husband?" Olivia knitted her brow. "What is it?"**

**"****Children," Gideon said. "There may be some trouble ahead. You know of my alchemy work, my search to the cure the Black Death."**

**"****Does one of us have the plague?" Thomas asked with alarm.**

**Jane tilted her head quizzically. "No, I'd have notice that. The complexion changes, the color of eyes. Have you found the cure father?"**

"Wow, when Gideon said she could see the smallest detail, he meant it," Sinead said.

**"****No, it's something different," Luke guessed. "He's found something more important."**

**Gideon stared at his elder son. "How do you know this?"**

**Luke shifted his feet. "Just a speculation. I simply-"**

**"****He was sneaking around last night," Katherine grumbled. "I saw him come out of you laboratory, Father. He's **_**always **_**sneaking around."**

His descendants smirked. Jade elbowed her cousin.

**"****Liar!" Luke snarled.**

**Thomas grabbed for his brother, but Gideon shouted, "Stop! All of you!"**

**He tried to control the tremor in his voice. "Luke, you cannot enter my laboratory. It's wrong and it's dangerous. But that's not the most important issues at present. You've guess correctly. I found something—something I need your help with. All of you."**

_His discovery,_ the clue hunters thought.

_Vesper,_ Jade and Mike thought.

**He reached under the edge of the dinner table and found the secret lever. The latch released, and four small drawers sprang open- one at each setting where his children normally sat.**

**"****Father!" Katherine said with glee. She ignored the contents of the drawer, even though it glowed with a faint green light. Instead, she examined the drawer itself. "A pressure lock? A concealed trigger? This is brilliant!"**

The Starlings smiled.

**Jane gingerly picked up her own package—a parcel the size of a folded dress, wrapped in velvet, tied in twine. Tucked under the twine was a glass vial with a cork and a leather strap. Jane picked up the vial. Even in the bright sunlight, the liquid inside glowed, staining her fingers emerald green.**

Jonah turned the book to everyone, to reveal a picture of a vial.

"The Janus Serum," Ian said loudly, which startled Amy. He looked right into her eyes.

"Thank you for saving my life," he plainly said, a mental image of Mt. Everest flashing before him.

Amy blushed but nodded.

**"****It's beautiful," she murmured.**

**"****Be careful, my dear," Gideon said. "That is your future."**

"A future of fighting and revenge just for a part of the serum. Fantastic future, I say," Dan said sarcastically. They all bowed their heads guiltily.

**"****Husband!" Olivia warned. "This is too dangerous. You promised—"**

**"****I promised only as a last resort, Olivia. Believe me, if there was any other was—"**

**"****Father, what is **_**this**_**?" Luke demanded. He held up his own parcel, similar to Jane's.**

"The Lucian clues and serum," Natalie mused. Her eyes flickered sadness. "Too bad, Mum . . .:

Ian took his sister's hand and gripped it.

**Thomas held up his gift as well, a bulkier bag of objects tied with a leather cord. His glass vial looked tiny and fragile in his massive hands.**

"Tomas," Sinead simply said.

**"****It's glowing," he announced.**

**Gideon ran his trembling hands along the scarred surface of their dinner table. He has a terrible suspicion this would be the last time they were here together. He saw the gouge Thomas knife had made last Easter.** **He saw the red stain burned into the table for the time had mixed herbs, wine and rare chemicals stolen from the lab to make his own "plague cure" when he was ten.**

"Must've exploded in his face," Dan muttered to Amy. They snickered quietly.

**In another corner, Katherine had craved something that looked like a dragon. Gideon still remembered the conversation: **_**My dear, there are no such things as dragons. **_**She had looked up defiantly. **_**There should be. Perhaps I will build on some day.**_

"So _that's_ why you guys have the only mythical creature," Jonah said, looking at the Starlings.

**Even young Jane had been quick to leave her mark. Her place at the table had been preciously scarred from generations of Cahills, but she filled in those scars with various paints—as if colors could heal—and created a web of beautiful lines.**

"Colors could heal scars," someone said. They all turned to Gabby, who was still asleep.

"Mom," she muttered urgently. "Words . . . I need . . ." She flinched then continued to snooze.

"What's that about?" Natalie asked in a low voice. The girl's companions' expressions turned grim.

"Her mother . . ." Jade's voice hesitated. Her eyes glanced at her side.

"Died," Mike continued, his voice strained.

Silence.

"Oh," Amy breathed, glancing at the couch beside her. She knew what that felt. "I'm s-sorry. At least, she has her father." She looked at Mike. "Right?"

He said nothing. His lips were on a tight straight line and his fists clenched on his lap, griping his tailored pants.

"Continue reading, Wizard," was his only reply.

Jonah didn't argue as he opened the page where he left off, giving one last glance at his fellow Janus.

**Around this table, Olivia and Gideon had celebrated the birth of each of their children. To think that they might never be together again . . . he swallowed and braced himself for what he must do.**

**"****Children, I need your help. We are in great danger. As you well know, I've worked many years attempting for find a cure for the plague. At first, I sought a way to kill the contagion. Then it occurred to me that perhaps the answer was instead to strengthen the body. If a man could be made more resilient, healthier, stronger in mind, body, and spirit, then perhaps the Black Death could not touch him. My approach had . . . unexpected consequences."**

"Really unexpected consequence," Dan muttered. "Not only he's going to die, his family is going to separate, Vesper is now hunting them down, and the ring."

"Peachy," Amy agreed.

**Katherine held up her vial with new interest. "Serum of some kind? To strengthen the receiver?"**

**Gideon glanced at Olivia. Her eyes were full of warning, but it was too late to turn back now.**

**"****I discovered the formula by accident," he said. "In its combined form . . . it is very potent."**

**Jane's eyes widened. "You took it! You experimented on yourself. Last month when you were sick, it wasn't illness, was it?"**

**Gideon shook his head. "I was terribly foolish, Jane. It almost killed me and—" He stopped himself before he could complete his thought: **_**and it still might.**_

_Knew it_, Amy sighed in her brain.

**"But when I rose from my bed, I found I had changed. I was stronger. More agile. My mind had greater capacity for numbers. My memory increased a hundredfold."**

**"****Excellent." Luke hefted the vial, a greedy light in his eyes. "And this is the serum? How can we be in danger, Father, if you are giving us such power?"**

**"****I am **_**not **_**giving you such power," Gideon said. "What you are holding is not the complete serum. That is . . . not perfect yet."**

_**As in fatal**_**, Gideon thought bitterly, but he tried to keep his tone even.**

**"****I am still working on the final variation of the formula," he said, "but for now the master serum is far too dangerous, especially if it were to fall into the wrong hands."**

**"****Like Luke's," Thomas grumbled.**

"Too true," someone said, but the Kabras glared at everybody.

"We've changed," Ian stated.

**"****Shut up, oaf!" Luke snapped.**

**"****Children!" Gideon said. "Lord Vesper has guessed about the serum. He will stop at nothing to get it, and he cannot be allowed to have. We have very little time."**

**Jane frowned. "But Lord Vesper is your friend."**

**"****Foolish little sister," Katherine said. "His Lordship is no one's friend. He tolerates people as long as they are useful. And Father is very useful."**

"Ouch," Dan said.

**It was bitter to hear this from a girl of fifteen—bitter to think she had such a cynical view.**

**"****Sadly, Katherine is right," he said. "Damien—Lord Vesper—has become too power hungry."**

**"****He cannot be trusted or kept at bay any longer. Your mother and I feared this might happen, which is I have divided my research. Each of you must guard you treasures I have given you—ingredients, tools, pieces of the formula. Your individual portions are not meant to make sense. I have intentionally obscured the means to re-create the complete formula. But taken together, reassembled properly with all thirty-nine ingredients. Until we escape Lord Vesper's reach—"**

"**Wait," Thomas said. "What are these glowing vials?"**

**Gideon hesitated. His work was so complex few adults could understand it, much less children. But looking around at his family, he knew he owned them complete honesty. More than that, he realized with fierce pride that all of them **_**could **_**understand. As different as they were, his children were all brilliant in their own ways. All of them at **_**least **_**as bright as he was.**

"That's kind of saying a lot for kids," Hamilton mumbled.

**"****Each vial holds an incomplete version of the serum," he explained. "Thinking of you children—how different you are and yet how gifted—is what inspired me to try the four-part approach. While the master serum is still imperfect, far too dangerous to take, the four strands separately are safe enough."**

"What made the master serum so deadly exactly then?" Dan asked.

"It wasn't stable, I think," Amy said.

**"****Together, your four vials would re-create the master serum, but in an emergency, children—you might have use your individual serums to give you strength, according to your natural talents."**

**"****Give us the **_**master **_**serum," Luke said. "You took the risk and lived! Together, we would be unstoppable. We could overcome Lord Vesper easily."**

**Gideon shivered. His son's tone reminded him too much of Damien's.**

"It's from the abuse of people that he turned into deadly opponent," Ian said. His amber eyes flared up. "If people were much more nicer to him, we wouldn't be so cruel at the present day."

**He could not tell Luke just how dearly his rash decision to try the serum had cost him. The new outbreak of the plague had given Gideon a sense of urgency, made him disregard caution and rush his research.**

_**If I can save more lives, **_**he though, **_**it will be worth the risk**_**.**

**Now he was paying the price.**

**"****No, Luke," he insisted. "As I told you, the master serum is much too dangerous. It is far too tempting for anyone."**

"I know someone who's tempted to take the serum," Amy said looking at Dan.

"Give you three guesses who that is," Mike amusingly joined in.

"Dan," Hamilton said.

"Daniel," Natalie miffed.

"Me," Jade cried.

They all stared at her. Mike pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

**"****Except for you," Luke said.**

**"****Luke!" Olivia chided. "You father is trying to save our family was well as his work."**

**"****But he doesn't trust us with his secrets," Luke said. "You've put us in danger. You want our help. You owe us the full power of your serum."**

**Gideon could see the other children tensing, watching this battle of will. They had never seen Luke rebel so brazenly, but Gideon couldn't feel anger, only sorrow. Luke was suspicious grasping perhaps a little too much like Lord Vesper—but if so, it was because Gideon had not been there for him. He had been so absorbed in his work he hadn't been a proper father.**

"I rest my case," Ian said.

**He's children might be brilliant, but they were still children, even Luke. They were already scared. Gideon had to stay confident for them, he couldn't tell them about the unintended consequences of the master serum. Unless he has twenty-four hours to complete the next variation . . .**

**"****Of course," he agreed. "Children, I have complete faith in you. Working together, the four of you will do more than I ever could do alone."**

"I wonder what would happen if they did work together," Sinead spoke out. That put everyone in thought.

Madison shook her head in dismay. "I can't imagine it. The idea of them working together feels . . . unreal. There would be no wars, nothing to shape human history."

"But, if our generation of Cahills work together," Amy started.

"It might make things a whole lot better," Dan smiled.

"Yo, that rhymed," Jonah smiled.

**"****You will perfect the serum and make sure it is used only for good. When the time is right, and you are far away from her, you can pool your resources and—"**

**"****Where are we going?" Katherine interrupted. "And why are you talking as if you aren't coming with us?"**

**Gideon forced a smile. "Of course I will come with you. But I want you all to get safely away first. Thomas, are the boats still in the cave?"**

**Thomas nodded, clearly mystified. Since the time of Madeleine, who discovered the island, all Cahills had been natural mariners. They learned to swim and navigate as soon as they could walk.**

"We learned all about the Cahill history by the time we could talk," Ian bragged.

"Not all," Amy grumbled, referring to her brother and herself.

**The family kept three small boats on the side of the island, ostensibly for fishing and amusement, but Gideon always felt better knowing they had a private escape route far from Lord Vesper's docks.**

"It's good that they prepared," Dan said.

**"****Tonight," he said, "you will pack your things. Bring only essentials that you can easily carry—and of course the serum I have given you, well hidden in your bags. I will secure the laboratory to make sure none of my research falls into Vesper's hands."**

**"****You mean you'll **_**destroy **_**the research?" Luke asked incredulously.**

**"****Listen!" Gideon insisted. "We must not give any sign that we are fleeing. We will cook dinner as usual and spend the night so Lord Vesper does not grow suspicious."**

"It won't work. He'll strike quickly to get his prize," Ian said. "There are some differences between Vesper and Luke. We strike at the right moment, even if it took years."

**"****But why not leave now?" Jane asked.**

**Gideon glanced toward the house. In the widow of the upped bedroom, the housekeeper Maria's face hovered like a pale ghost, watching.**

"Stalker," Jade joked though no one laughed. Mike gave her a disapproving look.

**She would not leave until nightfall, when she would return to her cottage near Lord Vesper's house. Five years she's been with the Cahills . . . five years on Damien's payroll of spies.**

**"****We cannot give Lord Vesper any reason to suspect we are fleeing," he repeated. "His guards on the island are more than capable of stopping us. And on the mainland . . . his reach is long indeed. We must get as far away as possible before he discovers our plan."**

**"****Just before dawn, then," Thomas said. "That's the next time the tides will allow us to leave safety, at any rate."**

"That's smart," Sinead said. That took Hamilton and his sisters by surprise.

"For a Tomas," she added, then the world was back in balance.

**Gideon nodded, grateful for Thomas's practicality.**

**He didn't add the last reason he needed more time. He had to continue his last attempt to perfect the serum. He might not succeed, but he had to try. And that meant he would have to stay longer than his family.**

**"****In the morning, then," he said, "just before first light, you will make your way to the boats and head to the mainland. I will stay behind and buy you as much time as I can. At my first opportunity, I will make some excuse to visit the mainland, then meet you on the road to Cork. By the time Vesper discovers we're gone, we'll be far beyond his reach."**

**"****But what if it doesn't work?" Jane's voice quavered. "What if Lord Vesper won't let you go? What if Lord Vesper stops us and searches us?"**

**"****It will work, my dear." Gideon tried to sound reassuring. "I'm giving you the element of the formula for a reason. Even if he found you, Vesper would probably never think to search you. He has no children and does not approve of children. I don't think it would ever occur to him that you might hold something of value."**

**No one argued this point. In all the years Vesper had been their family "friend," he never seemed to remember the children's name. To him, they were like cats—**

"I miss Saladin," Dan suddenly said.

"And Nellie and Fiske, too," Amy added.

"We can bring them here," Jade burst out, completely oblivious from the glares of her cousin.

The Cahill siblings mood lightened. The Kabras groaned. They'll have to deal with that horrible nanny again.

**of some limited value, to be tolerated but not worth noticing, much less naming.**

**Olivia rested her hand on his arm. "Yes, husband. We'll do as you say. Won't we children?"**

**They all nodded, though none of them looked comfortable with this plan, even Olivia.**

**"****I can say no more for now," Gideon insisted. "Go to your rooms. Be prepared to leave but, for God's sake, children, be careful. Do not pack until Maria leaves for the evening. Do not say or do anything to make her suspicious."**

**"****But why?" Jane asked.**

**He cleared his throat. "Maria . . . Maria would worry if she knew. Now go. And guard these packages with you lives."**

**To his relief, the children obeyed. Nervously, they clutched their newfound treasures and headed for the house in a group—looking for once like they had an untied purpose.**

"The one and only time," Hamilton said.

**Olivia turned toward him once they were alone. "Gideon I don't like this plan."**

**"****We agreed—"**

**"****And I will support you, but there **_**must **_**be another way." She rubbed her stomach as if it had begun to hurt. "There are . . . there are factors we haven't discussed."**

"Madeleine," Amy and Dan whispered.

**Something in her voice troubled him. "What do you mean?"**

**"****I just . . ." Whatever she was going to say, she apparently changed her mind. **

"She should've told him about the baby," Amy reasoned. "That might make them escape earlier."

"Even if they did escape earlier, Gideon would stay behind and be more determined to finish Vesper off. They would still think of foul play," Natalie pointed out.

**"We can't simply leave this island for Vesper to take. It's our home. It's been your **_**family's **_**home for generations. And the ring. I know you said never to speak of it, but—"**

**"****I will send it with you to the mainland," Gideon promised, though the idea chilled his blood. Olivia was the only person he'd told about the ring's terrible secret, but asking her to carry that burden seemed unconscionably risky.**

Amy swallowed.

**"****You have to take the children away," he said. "Vesper will never stop. Even with my new strength, I can't fight an entire barony. Out best hope is to get far away from him and convince him that my research went up into flames so it's beyond his reach forever."**

**"****But your research is in your **_**head**_**, Gideon. How will you get away—"**

**Gideon leaned forward and kissed his wife. **

Despite the situation, the girls cried, "Aaww". Dan made a gagging gesture. Amy elbowed him.

**She smelled wholesome things: sunlight and clean wool, fresh baked bread and rose petals. He had not told her just how sick he was. It was all he could do to stay of his feet, to control the trembling in his limbs. Even if he finished the serum, he doubted it would be in time. His heart was near breaking, but he managed a smile. "Trust me, sweetheart. We will all be together again."**

**Before he could lose his nerve, he turned and walked toward the house, where his laboratory waited.**

"Page break," Jonah announced. Edging to the right side, he handed the book to Reagan, who was on the left side of their couch.

Before the young Holt could open the book, Gabby woke up with a grunt.

"Ugh, what happened?" she asked, rubbing her forehead. Perhaps she couldn't see because when she turned to Jonah, she said, "Will? Is that you? What are you doing here?"

"Uh, my name not Will. It's Jonah Wizard," he replied with confidence. She blinked in surprise.

"Oh, I apologize. I thought you were . . ." Her eyes darted towards her companions." . . . someone they know?"

Mike shook his head rapidly.

"How long was I out?"

"About an hour," Jade answered. Her face was filled with concern. "You shouldn't have used _it_ up that fast. _It_ needs rest."

The clue hunters exchange looks. _What is _it_?_

Gabby nodded, not noticing the wary behavior of the Cahills. "Let's continue."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay! I want to ****thank ****Evanescence456****, bookgirl39, PJOTKCLucian13, Giraffes4Ever, and IJustCantChoose for reviewing my work. I know it's suckish but appreciate the support.**

**And I think lots of my viewers have guessed who the OCs are. Don't reveal it to others who do not know. PLEASE!**

**I do not own anything you've seen or heard ****in real life.**


	6. Gideon Part 5

**Chapter 6: Gideon Part 5**

"**It was near midnight when Gideon realized he would not live to see the dawn,**" Reagan read.

They bowed their heads in the memory of Gideon Cahill.

**He'd spent the entire day collecting his equipment, accounting for every scrap of research.**

"I'd say he had less paper with research. Vesper did mention that he wrote on his body because he was too lazy to find some parchment," Amy said. "But it's good that he's double checking."

**He'd kept out only the essential beakers and distillation equipment for the final iteration of the serum. Every so often he'd turn and watch the drops of fluid traveling through the glass tubes with painful slowness. He wished he could speed up the process, but there was simply no way.**

**In the meantime, he had prepared his last line of defense. He'd mixed niter, coal, and sulfur, pitch and acid—using all his alchemical training and his newfound quickness to create one final, deadly compound. Now sealed in vats of explosive were placed around the laboratory, strung together with fuse wire of gun-power-coated rope. On the table, his oil lamp burned with a low blue flame. A windup timepiece turned gears that held the end of the fuse, bringing it ever closer to the fire.**

"He's creating a time-delayed bomb!" Ted yelled.

"He didn't kid about destroying his work through the means of fire," Ned said.

"So, _he's_ the one who started the fire," Sinead remarked.

**In the morning, Gideon would visit Damien's manor again. Hopefully, the serum would be done by then, and Gideon would be healthier, ready to take on his old friend. He would try to keep Damien engaged in negotiations for at least an hour—enough time for his family to of get a head start on the mainland. Eventually, Damien would grow impatient and demand to see Gideon lab. Gideon would stall as long as possible the reluctantly agree. If his timing proved correct, they would be almost to the laboratory when the time-delayed fuse ignited. Twenty explosive vats would erupt simultaneously, turning the house into an inferno, reducing this lab to a mound of ashes. There would be nothing left for Damien to find.**

"Destroying your life's work," Mike sighed. "It must be painful for him but not as painful for what is about to come."

**Perhaps Gideon could escape somehow later on, bide his time pretending to work for Vesper. He could find a way to reunite with his family eventually. Or if not . . . he would do whatever he must do to keep Damien from getting the serum.**

_**And the ring**_**. Gideon cursed himself. He'd forgotten to give Olivia the ring, which was almost as important, almost as dangerous as the master serum.**

Dan shot his sister a worried gaze. _Amy, are you okay about wearing it?_

Amy looked pale but she needed to brave for her brother. She nodded like saying _Yeah, I'm fine._

**He'd explained its secrets to Olivia long ago and warned her that Damien Vesper should never possess it. She'd argued many times that the ring shouldn't be kept under Lord Vesper's nose, but Gideon felt like he had no choice. He couldn't let something so dangerous out of his sight. Gideon had told Olivia to downplay the ring's significance should Damien ever ask about it.**

_**Tell him it has sentimental value, **_**he suggested. **_**Perhaps an heirloom from your family, which you gave to me as a token of our marriage.**_

"That could work," Ian said. "I doubt he would be interested in tokens of appreciation, much less love."

"You're not the one to talk, brother," Natalie mumbled, staring at Amy.

**Now he would have to give her the ring and hope could take it to safety.**

**Gideon looked around one more time, taking stock of the place where he'd worked so many years. The laboratory took up half of the house's ground floor, but it might as well have been a separate building. A small side door led into the house proper, though Gideon usually came and went through the back exit, which led straight to the meadow. While Olivia and Maria kept the rest of the house well-scrubbed and tidy, they were not allowed in the lab. For safety, Gideon forbade anyone but himself to enter. He kept the doors looked, thank goodness. If Maria had had a key for the lab, she might've given Lord Vesper **_**much **_**more information.**

"He would've attacked earlier," Hamilton guessed.

**The lab's oak-beamed ceiling was low and blackened from years of smoke. Shelves of chemicals and racks of tools covered every bit of wall space. The waist-high worktables were cluttered with bowls and vials, and the room had no chairs. Gideon never sat while he worked. His spirit was too restless. He would pace between projects, checking on several boiling cats at once. Olivia often teased him that he cooked six times more than she did and still couldn't make a decent stew.**

Everyone chuckled.

**He was about to reset the timepiece, douse the oil burner, and close up the lab when a voice spoke behind him: "Father."**

**Luke had slipped through the interior doorway, which should have been impossible.**

Ian and Natalie smirked. "No place is impossible for us to sneak in."

"You should make that your slogan," Jade said. Dan laughed.

**Somehow, he'd managed to undo Gideon's foolproof bolt system. Now he stood there full dressed, looking agitated.**

**"****Luke?" Gideon managed. "What are you—"**

**"****They're coming, Father!"**

"Vesper," Mike and Jade thought aloud. They turned to towards each other, annoyance in their faces.

"Stop copying me," they said.

"Stop," they yelled.

"Give it up, guys," Gabby interrupted impatiently. "You always say the same thing if you think the same thing. Even after 5 months, I still can't believe you two aren't siblings."

They grumbled a brief "Fine."

Ian raised an eyebrow across Amy. She was confused as he was.

**"****What do you mean? Why aren't you in bed?"**

**Luke waved the question aside, "Couldn't sleep, of course. They're**_**coming**_**! Vesper and his men. You have to . . ." Luke glanced around the laboratory. He noticed the sealed container, the fuses, the timepiece and the burner, and with unnerving quickness he seemed to understand his father's plan.**

**"****A time-delay explosion," Luke said in amazement.**

"Called it," Ted bragged. His siblings rolled their eyes.

**"****You'll destroy the house, the formula—everything. But there's no time for that now! The enemy is almost—"**

**A fist pounded on the lab's exterior door.**

Amy twisted her head both ways, like she was also expecting someone to burst in and attack.

**Gideon's heart crawled into his throat. His enhanced senses should've registered the danger earlier, but the same serum that had made him formidable was now betraying him, making his mind go fuzzy. Of course he should've realized: Lord Vesper had scented his prey. He wouldn't wait until morning. He would strike while Gideon was still unprepared.**

"Called it," Ian smirked.

**"****Luke, get out of here," Gideon ordered. "Wake up the others and sneak away**_**now**_**."**

**"****Give me the full serum!" Luke pleaded. "I can help you fight!"**

_**He's already taken his fourth of the serum, **_**Gideon realized. That explained how se sneaked past he security measures so easily. It explained the swift new cleverness in his eyes—how he picked out details in a dark room and immediately reconstructed his father's plan.**

"That's true. Mu— I mean, Isabel took the Lucian serum and slipped inside the Gauntlet unseen," Natalie grumbled. "We should've seen it coming."

**Luke had always been impetuous, taking the serum? An unforgivable risk.**

**Still, at the moment Gideon was glad for his son's recklessness. It might allow him to save the rest of the family.**

**The exterior door shook again under the pounding of metal-clad fists.**

"Metal-clad fists?" Dan asked.

"Probably wearing armor," Amy said.

**"****Luke, listen to me." Gideon grasped his shoulders. "Even together, we cannot defeat Vesper and all his men. He has assassins everywhere. I **_**know **_**what I'm talking about. Your only hope is to leave now. Wake the family and get out!"**

**"****But the others won't trust me!"**

"It's because of his reputation and how he looks like," Gabby said idly, angering the Kabras. She flinched and muttered an apology.

**Luke said. "They never do. And how will you get away?"**

**Gideon didn't answer.**

**Luke's face paled. Gideon could see comprehension dawning on him. "Father, the master serum . . . you said it was too dangerous. You meant **_**fatal**_**, didn't you? You're dying . . ."**

"A theory proven," Ned said glumly.

**"****You must protect the family now."**

"But he failed to do so," Jonah sighed, wondering about how Jane would take it later on.

"**But—"**

**"****Go, Luke."**

**The door rattle and the hinges creaked.**

**"****I love you, Father," Luke said, his voice wavering. Then he slipped inside.**

**Gideon barred the door and reset the bolts. He could hear Luke moving heavy furniture to blockade the other side.**

**Then the exterior door shattered, and two of Vesper's guard stepped into the laboratory.**

**They were both dressed in steel and leather brigandine armor. Vesper's lieutenant, Balthazar, stood at the right, his sword unsheathed.**

"So, that's what Vesper meant by he might get use his sword after all," Madison said.

"Thanks for that obvious statement, Holt," Natalie said, somewhat sarcastic.

**On the left stood the baron's executioner and strong-arm enforcer, who went by the name of Craven, though it did not fit his appearance. His eyes were a frightening milky white, and his arms were as thick as fence post. His battle-ax was flecked with splinter from breaking down the door.**

**Lord Vesper himself stepped through next, dressed in black robes and chain mail.**

"What an entrance," Dan said.

"Chain mail?" Jonah asked.

"It's a kind of armor. You've most likely seen a knight wear it," Amy exclaimed.

**Damien was older than Gideon by at least five years, but he had hint of gray hair, nor a wrinkle. The commoners swore Lord Vesper had made a deal with the devil to stay young.**

"I wouldn't be surprised be surprised if he was the devil himself, " Amy heard Dan say under her breath.

**If Gideon had been superstitious, he might have agreed. The lord's curly black mane, handsome face, and dark, hungry eyes had not changed in a decade.**

"Creeepy," Jade deduced.

**"****Good evening, Gideon." Damien tugged off his gloves and scanned the lab. His eyes fixed on the nearest worktable, where Gideon distillation was in progress and his text neatly stacked, "Thank you for compiling you research for us. It makes things much easier. And that would be the mysterious concoction? Excellent. Balthazar, if you please . . ."**

**Before the lieutenant could step forward, Gideon grabbed the end of the fuse wire. He held it within an inch of the burner's flame.**

"Let's just hope Luke and the rest of the family is out of the house before Gideon blows up the whole place," Amy said.

**"****Come any closer," he warned, "and you all die."**

**Balthazar snorted and started to advance.**

**"****Wait," Lord Vesper commanded.**

**Damien's keen eyes examined the scene more closely—the incendiary charges, the wires connecting them, the timepiece and burner.** **Only Gideon's own daughter Katherine could've rivaled Damien for mechanical genius. **

"We're much more intelligent than those Vespers," the Starlings said in defense.

**The baron's lips curled into a dry smile as he appreciated the trap Gideon had created.**

"And to think he never smiles," Hamilton said.

**Balthazar waited uneasily, no doubt wondering why he was being held at bay by a crazy old alchemist with a piece of rope.**

"Crazy?" Amy asked.

"Well, we are crazy," Jade said. "We're born in this family."

"Touché," Dan agreed, not realizing that important information was slipped from Jade's mouth.

**Damien tutted with disappointment. "Really, Gideon, are you willing to destroy yourself, your family, and your precious research? Would you sacrifice everything you've worked for just to thwart me? There is no need for that."**

**"****I can't let you have the formula, Damien. It will die with me."**

**Damien tried to read his face. Gideon had seen him so this with so many people over the years. No one in his right mind would gamble with Lord Vesper and certainly not try to bluff him. **

"I rest my case," Jade smirked. "Cahills are not in their right minds."

"Especially you, my dear cousin," Mike said, but was completely ignored.

**Gideon was not bluffing, but Vesper would have trouble believing that. Self-sacrifice was a foreign concept to the baron.**

"Not unless it was paid to do so," Natalie said.

**"****Work with me," Vesper said. "We can bother benefit. When I am the most powerful man in the world, you will have every resource at your disposal for you projects. You can eradicate the Black Death, as you've always dreamed."**

**"****And see the world crushed under your boots? No thank you."**

"Vesper reminds me of Isabel in too many ways," Amy whispered.

Mike whispered something to Jade, and then she chuckled.

"You have no idea," Jade laughed.

**"Your family . . . I can keep them safe, Gideon. But if you oppose—"**

**"Do not threaten them again," Gideon growled "They know nothing of my work, and I'll never let you use them as hostage to my cooperation. I would rather die."**

**"I do not believe you," Vesper said coldly. "We will take your research. Step aside, and we'll spare you."**

_**He's lying**_**, Gideon realized, Damien had come the same conclusion as he: They were archenemies.**

"Duh," Jonah said.

**One of them must die. If the lab was intact, Damien was more than capable of understanding the serum notes. He had no need of Gideon. He would simply take what he wanted.**

**What ever happened, Gideon was doomed. Even if he survived this night, he would never have time to perfect the master serum. The flawed mixture in his veins was already destroying him. The only thing left was to make his death count—to buy his family a chance at survival and to thwart Damien Vesper's plans.**

**He prayed that Luke had gotten the family safely out of the house. If they could make it to the boats, they had a chance. Someday, they might be able to reconstruct his research and finish the master serum.**

"And that day might be anytime soon," Amy said, thumbing her brother, "with the serum in his head and all."

Dan pouted.

**So many things undone, so many possibilities crushed. Gideon would not see his children again in this life, not would he be able to give the ring to Olivia. He could only hope that the ring was buried with him, and his family lived.**

**"****I have wasted enough time with you," Vesper snarled. "I will wait outside. Balthazar, Craven, I will count to sixty. At the end of that time, I expect Gideon Cahill at my feet—dead or alive, I don't care which. And do not let him damage **_**anything **_**in this laboratory."**

**Vesper swept out of the room.**

"He knows what's going to happen," Amy breathed, taking her brothers hand. He didn't pull back.

**Balthazar and Craven both stepped forward.**

"**Do not," Gideon warned them. "Vesper left because he knows you may die. Leave now. I have no wish to kill you."**

**Craven made a grunting sound like a pig—possibly his way of laughing. Balthazar sneered and raised his sword.**

_**I'm sorry Olivia, **_**Gideon thought. **_**God protect my family.**_

**Gideon thrust the fuse into the burner. Lines of fire raced through the dark laboratory, and the world exploded around him.**

The room turned silent.

"He was a noble man," Gabby said, breaking the tension. She stood up and gestured her friends to follow. It was like they we're attending the actual funeral of Gideon Cahill.

"He did whatever he can to save people's lives from the plague, even by risking his family and his self to do so," Mike told the boldly.

"We will always remember what he did to make the world a better place," Jade mumbled. Mike gave her a nice pat on the back and the three sat back down.

"Page break. Here you go, Ham," Reagan said, handing the book over to her brother.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks again for the reviews! Yes, this does seem less depressing than I hoped for.**

**I don't own anything you've seen or heard in real life.**


	7. Gideon Part 6

**Chapter 7: Gideon Part 6**

"**Luke almost believed that they would make it,**" Hamilton read.

**He'd managed to rouse his mother and siblings from their sleep and herd them from the house,** **telling them that Father had order them not to wait for him. Luke's tone was so insistent, so earnest, that no even his mother hesitated.**

**They'd followed Luke towards the cave, stumbling along in the dark, clutching their parcels of secrets and whatever other bags they could easily carry.**

**Halfway to the boats, they heard the explosion.**

Amy shuddered.

**They all turned, their faces suddenly awash in red light from the distant fireball. Mother let out a sob of horror.**

**"****Keep going!" Luke shouted. His heart was as heavy as iron. He knew exactly what happened, but he could not let father's sacrifice be in vain. He **_**had **_**to save his family.**

"So, Luke was trying to protect the family," Amy said in a low voice. "How did they think he was a traitor?"

"He knew there was going to be an explosion," Ian explained. "And the other siblings will suspect that he's the one who started it. That's what most of these fools think about us."

The other branches stood up angrily. Jade took this moment as an opportunity to use the Remote. With one push of a button, the wall tiles slid open and revealed large speakers. Then, she took out a microphone from who-knows-where and screamed a shrill cry. Like those horror movies when the girl of the story screams when the monster is right behind her. The shriek was ear piercing that it made every cover their ears and fall to the ground.

Mike slapped her in the back of her head. She stopped screaming and turned to glare at her cousin.

"Idiot," he simply said, making her notice the others who were lying on the floor. Only the cousins and Gabby were unaffected.

Dan said, "Awesome," before stumbling back to his couch.

"Another thing," Jade said, though not so loud it made everyone flinch. "You are here to bond. Make peace. Me and my friends are following the Madrigals path."

"We're all fine and dandy with the whole peace thing," Natalie complained, standing up with her brothers help. "But that doesn't give you the authority to make us deaf as a punishment."

After some quick apologies from Mike and Gabby, they all settled down and continued.

"**Father!" Katherine screamed.**

**She dropped her bags and ran for the house, but Luke grabbed her arm. "Stop it!" he cried. "You can't help him!"**

**Mother was already running. Thomas—the stupid oaf—**

The Holts glared at the Kabras, but surprised to see Jade in a happy expression.

"Stupid oaf," she repeated. "You never called me that Mike. Are you unaware of other snappy comebacks?"

Mike's frown quickly turned to a sweet smile. "There's a first for everything, oaf."

"Says the most feeble, spineless _girl_," Jade snapped in a British accent.

Mike was quick on his feet with a counter of his own. "At least I'm not a dollop-head."

"Git."

"Prat."

"Klutz."

"Clot pole."

Gabby sighed and said to Hamilton, "This will take a while. Just continue, and they will eventually calm down."

Jonah whispered to her. "And you and your homies say we should try to make peace."

"Don't remind me," she groaned.

**shoved Luke aside, and he and Katherine raced after her.**

**Only Jane stood still, staring at the distant flames as if trying to understand who had painted them. "Luke . . . wh-where is Papa?"**

"That must be hard on a ten year old to see that," Jonah said, seeing the two cousins sit down, both red-faced.

"It's hard on anyone," Dan muttered.

**At that moment, Luke felt ten years old himself. **

Hamilton wanted to make a joke about it, but seeing the faces of everyone, he thought it wasn't the time.

**He wanted to weep. He wanted to scream in rage and frustration. But he had no choice. He had to be the adult now.**

"**It will be all right." He took Jane's hand. "I'll protect you. But first come. We must help the others." Together, they followed their family back towards the house.**

**The fire was so intense for them to get close. White-hot flames danced across the timber and ate through the walls like cocoon silk. Thomas had tried to charge in, but Katherine and Olivia pulled him back.**

**"****We must get help!" Katherine screamed. "Thomas, run to Lord Vesper."**

"That would have to be the worst suggestion I've heard from an Ekaterina," Natalie said, receiving glares from the Starlings. She just smirked in their direction.

**"****No!" Luke said. "Vesper was **_**here**_**, Katherine. This is his doing!"**

**Mother fell to her knees and wept. Jane hid under the dining table, which was still sat in the garden. She hugged one of the table legs as if it were the mast of an unsteady ship.**

"She did the rational thing. She went to her place of peace," Mike said, looking over her frustrated relative. Mike heard her mutter something—perhaps an apology. He dipped his head to peer his cousin's face and smiled.

That's all they needed to forgive.

**Thomas stormed toward Luke. His face was blackened with soot, and his tear made red lines down his cheeks like ancient Celtic war paint. He may have been only thirteen, but the look in his eyes made Luke take a step back. Luke hated himself for felling afraid, but his younger brother had always intimidated him.**

The Holts laughed whole-heartedly. Jade prevented herself from giggling by pinching her arm.

**"****You're lying!" Thomas yelled. "You got us out of the house. You knew this would happen!"**

**"****No, I—I suspected," Luke said, "but Father's orders—"**

**Thomas pushed him to the ground. "We could've helped him! You led us away and let Father die! Perhaps **_**you **_**started the fire!"**

Amy and Dan sighed.

**Luke felt as if the flames were inside him now, eating through his skin, consuming him with anger. The ringing in his ear, which started as soon as he took his portion of the serum, became louder.**

**"****I saved your life, you fool!" he snarled. "Father was dying anyway! Don't you see that? The master serum made him sick. He was trying to keep Lord Vesper from taking our secrets. He died to give you time to escape. And now you stand here arguing with me when you should be running! You aren't even smart enough to save!"**

"That's harsh_,"_Ted said, not really helping the mood.

**Thomas charged, but this time Luke was ready. His little brother seemed to move in slow motion. Luke could not match his strength, but he used Thomas' momentum against him. He raised his feet, planted them on Thomas' chest, and rolled backward, sending Thomas flying over him and crashing into the dining table.**

"Ooh," Dan winced. "That's got to hurt."

**"****Stop it!" Mother screamed.**

**Jane started crying. Katherine covered her ears and stared at her brothers in shock.**

**Thomas was crumpled against the table. Luke stalked over, turned him on his back, and placed his elbow against his brother's throat.**

"No, _that's _got to hurt," Amy stated weakly. This was starting to get terrifying.

_Brother hurting brother,_ she thought. _It's barbaric. _

**"****I am **_**done **_**with you!" Luke bellowed.**

**All his rage boiled to the surface: the teasing he'd endured from the villagers for years, the jeering from his fellow students at Oxford, the suspicious looks from his own family. No one ever trusted him. He's always been the odd man out, the strange, quiet child with the shifty eyes. Now he tried to do the right thing. He's obeyed his father, spoken from his heart, and tried to save his miserable family. And they blamed him for the disaster!**

**Thomas eyes bulged. He choked, grasping weakly for Luke's face, but Luke was too slippery for him to grab.**

_**That's right, **_**Luke thought. **_**You call me a snake? I'll prove I'm just as dangerous!**_

**"****Stop it!" Jane shrieked. Luke realized she was pummeling him with her tiny fists. "Stop it, Luke!"**

**Stunned, he released Thomas and stepped away. Katherine rushed to his aid. Their mother simply stared in horror.**

Amy was doing the same thing as Olivia was probably doing at that time. Dan just moved uncomfortably, his eyes rushing everywhere.

**For a long while, no one spoke. **

_Ditto,_ Natalie thought.

**There was no sound except the roar of the fire. Luke stared at his hands, suddenly overcame with shame and self-loathing. He had almost killed his brother. Was this because of the serum, or had this evil been inside him all along?**

"I'd say both," Ian whispered.

**He looked at his family's terrified expressions, and he realized something more important than the house had been destroyed tonight. Their trust, their love—whatever mutual bond had held them together around this dinner table for so many years—had died along with their father.**

**The flowers had darkened, the vegetable garden smoldered, and their family home collapsed in a roar of white heat.**

**"****It was Vesper," Luke said stubbornly, though he knew it wouldn't matter.**

"We're all stubborn," Gabby stated, making everyone feel guilty about their founders. Excluding the Cahill siblings.

**Thomas rubbed his throat. His eyes still looked too large for their sockets. He had said nothing, but Luke read his expression perfectly: **_**Your fault. All your fault.**_

**This time, Luke controlled himself. The serum was working its way through his body, slowly enhancing his senses, his understanding. He could see five or six moves ahead, as if the world had become a chess game. He knew anger wouldn't serve him now. He might as well argue with the flames as argue with Thomas. He needed to withdraw, find a safe haven, study his father's research. He could not stay here. And he certainly couldn't trust Thomas or Katherine.**

**"****I tried to save you all," he said. "I tried to obey Father's orders. None of you would listen. So I'm going."**

**"****Going?" Jane looked on the verge of tears again. Luke resolved weakened. He couldn't stand to see his sister in pain, but he also couldn't travel the world with a ten-year-old girl in tow.**

"Why not?" Jade asked. No one answered.

**"****Perhaps we'll see each other again, Jane," he said half-heartedly. "Mother will look after you . . ."**

**His voice trailed off. One look at Mother's face told him she was in no condition to tend to anyone, even herself. Luke had seen this look too often on the plague survivors throughout Ireland and England. He had seen the hollow-eyed women who had lost their entire families, their entire villages. Olivia Cahill might as well be a ghost herself.**

**He met Thomas' and Katherine's eyes one last time and they silently agreed on one thing: their mutual hatred.**

"The feud was between the Lucians and Tomas and Ekats," Dan said. "What about the Janus?"

"Maybe in the years later," Madison replied.

**"Good-bye, then," Luke said. He turned and walked into the darkness.**

**He heard Jane crying, calling his name. He waited for the others to call him back, to realize their mistake and beg him to stay. But they never did.**

"Another page break," Hamilton declared, handing the book to Madison.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm typing these things too fast.**


	8. Gideon Part 7

**Chapter 8: Gideon Part 7 **

"**Olivia grieved alone,**" Madison read.

**In the morning light, the ruins of the house looked like a black and shattered eggshell. Smoke still burned in her lungs but her eyes were so painfully dry she could not cry.**

_Mom and Dad_, Amy thought painfully, holding back unshed tears.

**She had wrapped Gideon in a singed linen sheet, his head cradled in her lap. She stroked his hair, willing him to open his eyes, but of course he did not. By the time she found him, he had breathed his last.**

Dan sniffed. In response, Amy hugged her brother. Like when their house was on fire.

_Protect your brother._

**The flames had not killed him, but the heat and smoke had. Two other men had died in the fire. They had been badly burned, but Olivia recognized them as Vesper's guards- Balthazar and Craven. This had given her a steely anger to counter her grief and enough strength to move their bodies. Ironically, they had fallen across Gideon—perhaps to tackle him to prevent him from escaping. They had shielded Gideon's body from the worst flames. **

A few people chuckled at that.

**He looked remarkably peaceful. His hair was so sooty and scorched that he appeared young again—all the gray burned away.**

**Her fingers trembled as she caressed his brow. She wanted to shout at the sky. She wanted to curse Gideon for leaving her. But she wouldn't blame him, even now. She had known when she married him: His heart was too big to be constrained, He cared for her deeply, but he cared for all humanity, too. He could never give up his mission to improve the lot of the poor and sick, to the defeat the plague once and for all. He would do anything to save others. He had died—the stubborn, infuriating, gentle man—because he believed it was the only way to save his work and his family.**

Gabby suddenly burst in tears. Mike came over and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Jonah edged away from the two. Amy was in no mood to be jealous at the time.

**"****Gideon," she said, trying to keep her voice from breaking. "The children are gone. I couldn't stop them."**

**Surely Gideon hadn't meant for that to happen.**

"I don't think any parent would want this kind of thing to happen to their children," Reagan whispered. Hamilton nudged her head playfully, just to cheer her up.

**Shortly after Luke left, Jane had chased after him. Neither had returned. Olivia had finally shaken herself out of misery and sent Katherine to find them. A half hour later, Katherine had returned and reported that a boat was missing from the cave. Luke and Jane had apparently made good their threat and left for the mainland.**

**Thomas and Katherine's grief quickly turned to anger. They blamed their father for not telling them everything, for trusting Vesper and Luke. They blamed Olivia for not stopping Gideon's madness.**

"Blaming other people doesn't get a person anywhere," Jade said.

**Luke and Jane had the right idea, they decided. It was time to leave this cursed family.**

**Their harsh words stung Olivia. She pleaded with them to stay, but Thomas and Katherine were soon gone as well. Olivia's spirit was so shattered she did not even follow. She stumbled toward the ruins of the house, hoping against hope that she you find Gideon alive. She needed his strength.**

**Now Olivia was absolutely alone. Or almost so. She hugged her barely swollen belly—praying the unborn child was still safe.**

Gabby sniffed and asked Mike to let her go. He did, but he didn't move an inch from her side.

**Gideon and the children hadn't known. She'd been waiting for the right moment, sensing that he stress in the family was too great to break such news. But if she'd told Gideon sooner, would he have been more carful? Would he still be alive?**

"Doubt it," Dan mumbled.

**A fresh wave of guilt washed over her. A fifth child on the way, and now she was a widow. Her other children had fled. She prayed they would come back when grief and anger subsided. Surely they would not leave her for good.**

Amy shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid they're separated for good, although I wouldn't say the same for their descendants."

**But something had told her that their family had permanently shattered. More important—the future of the entire world had splintered. Together, her children might've completed their father's work. Separately, they had gone into the world with secrets powerful enough to change history. Judging from what Gideon had told her, each of them carried a serum that you fundamentally alter their chemistry, instilling greatness and talents to them and their descendants for generations to come They might become saints or monsters, kings or villains, but Olivia feared that separately, the children of the Cahills would never achieve Gideon's dreams. They would keep fighting, struggling with one another as they always done, but now their squabbles would shape the course of civilization. The world would be their battleground.**

In spite of the depressing atmosphere, Natalie had to chuckle. "She actually predicted that?"

"Well, it is pretty obvious," Ned affirmed. "Knowing those serums could affect their body and their way of thinking."

"And with the hatred that grew between the siblings," Ted started.

"The world will not be left out from their battles," Sinead continued.

_**We will be together again**_**, Gideon had said—a cruel last memory of her husband. She looked down at his lifeless form and clasped his fingers. His gold ring glinted, its strange rows of engraved symbols even more pronounced with soot filling to grooves.**

Madison flipped the page, and showed everyone the picture of the ring. Amy put her hand over her watch, but Ian saw her do it. His eyes flickered with sudden interest for her watch.

**Many times she'd pleaded with Gideon to hide the ring or send it away, but he's insisted that he could only keep it safe by keeping it close. Now that burden fell to Olivia.**

_**Above all, Lord Vesper must never have it, **_**Gideon once told her. **_**If he asks about it, tell him it has sentimental value. Perhaps an heirloom from your family, which you gave to me as a token of our marriage, eh? Perhaps that will keep him from demanding it. The man is like a crow. Shiny things catch his eyes.**_

A few people snickered, then stopped. That impression actually fit the Vespers' outlook.

**Olivia's eyes fixed on the golden band. Blood rushed in her ears, and she was so overwhelmed with the dread and grief that she didn't hear the approaching footsteps until Damien Vesper said, "My dear Olivia. I'm so sorry."**

"Bad," Madison concluded. "And another page break. How many are there, anyway?"

She handed the book to Ted, who was the closest, but Sinead grabbed it from him.

"He can't see," she simply said, opening the book.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Man, I'm on a roll!**


	9. Gideon Part 8

**Chapter 9: Gideon Part 8 And A Goodnight's Sleep**

"**Vesper so rarely spoke to her, at first she was too astonished to respond,**" Sinead read.

"No surprise there," Ian commented.

**He was dress in black velvet, with soft leather boots and a silver chain around his neck. His expression was appropriately mournful, but in his eyes was bright and greedy. **_**Like a crow**_**, Gideon had remarked.**

"Hey do you think that's the Vespers' animal symbol?" Dan thought aloud. That got everybody's attention from the story. "You know, like how the four branches have animals. Like a snakes for the Lucians, a dragon for the Ekats, a bear for the Tomas, and a wolf for the Janus."

"What about you then, Daniel?" Ian asked. "What's the Madrigal's animal symbol?"

"It's Dan," he grumbled, pondering that question. "And I don't know . . ."

"Continue reading, Sinead," Amy said.

**Vesper's hand rested on the pommel of his sword. She noticed his eye brows had been scorched clean off. Behind him stood two guards—men she'd never seen before. Already he'd replaced the two he'd lost in the fire.**

**"****You demon," Olivia spat. "**_**You**_** did this. Your men are in the ruins, dead. You killed my husband."**

**Vesper's expression hardened. "I assure you, madam, I did not. As for my men, I'm sure they came here to help. I grieve as much as you do. I consider this fire a great tragedy."**

"Yeah right," Madison snorted.

**Olivia realized that he meant it but for all the wrong reasons. He cared nothing for his dead servants. He barely looked at Gideon's body. Instead, Vesper was mourning the ruins of the lab—all those valuable secrets gone.**

"Oh, I get it," Madison said.

**"****Gideon thwarted you," she said. "Whatever you were looking for, it's been destroyed. Though I suppose you'll want to pick through the ruins yourself."**

**He met her eyes. Olivia did not flinch. Vesper had a reputation for reading faces, but Olivia was an actress of great talent. She'd grown up in a family of older brothers, all of them smart and strong. She could lie as needed, and swaggering men like Lord Vesper did not scare her.**

**"****You know of Gideon's research, madam?" he asked.**

**"****I'm a woman," she said flatly. "What would I know such things?"**

"She makes us sound like we don't know anything," Sinead huffed.

"Well, men are stubborn back then," Amy replied.

"Hey!"

**Vesper hesitated, then nodded. Olivia marveled at how blind men could be.**

All the girls in the room snickered. And all the guys just glared at them.

**Vesper might be a genius, but women and children were alien species to him. Gideon had been right. Hiding the formula with his family had made it nearly invisible to Lord Vesper.**

**"****Your family is safe?" he asked, though he did not seem terribly concerned.**

**"****Gone to the mainland," she said. "They could not bear the sight of these ruins. Or of**_** you**_**, my lord."**

**"****Indeed? Leaving you all alone?"**

**"****I'm sure they'll be back soon," she lied, "with the priest and the town elders and a good number of townsfolk. Gideon was well loved by your people."**

**Lord Vesper tensed, and Olivia knew he understood her meaning. Vesper might have many servants and allies around the world, but he was**_** not**_** well loved by his own people. If word began spreading that Vesper had a hand in Gideon's death, killing a man of the peasants believed was a saint, working to free them from the plague . . .**

"An angry mob," Dan, Hamilton, and Jade cheered. They all looked at them with concern.

"I totally want to see that," Dan exclaimed. "Just imagine. A pitchfork running straight through Vesper's chest."

Amy rolled her eyes at Dan's annoying impulse.

**"****I see," Vesper backed up a step. He looked at Gideon's body, and his nose wrinkled with distaste. Then he froze. Vesper had noticed the ring.**

**"****A beautiful trinket," he mused. "It looks different somehow . . ."**

**"****A love token of my love to Gideon," Olivia said as casually as she could manage. "An heirloom of my family."**

**"****Will he be buried with it?"**

**Olivia felt the moment's importance, as if she were poised on the edge of a knife. Generations of Cahills—the future of the world itself- might be shaped by what she said next and did next.**

**She tugged the ring off her husband's finger and thrust it towards Lord Vesper. "Do you want it, my lord? My wedding token to Gideon? Would you deprive me of that, too? Go on, then. Take it!"**

"Good plan," Mike mused. The Holts were confused.

**Vesper's lips curled. He stepped away immediately losing interest.**

"How did she get him to do that?" Reagan asked.

"It will be explained," Mike said impatiently.

**As Olivia had hoped: Anything freely given couldn't be worth much to a man like Damien Vesper. And a token of love? Worse than useless. He was a predator, a hunter by nature.**

"Oh."

**"****There is no need to search the ruins," he decided. "Nothing could have survived."**

**"****Because you were here when the laboratory exploded," Olivia guessed. "You saw it yourself."**

**Vesper smiled coldly. "We'll leave you to your grief, madam."**

**Olivia eased Gideon's head off her lap. She stood, clenching her fists. "You'll do more than that, my lord. You'll leave this island, and you'll never come back."**

"Yeah, you tell him, Olivia," Dan applauded. Few people cracked a smile.

**The guards frowned, obviously confused. Had a ragged, soot-covered woman just order Lord Vesper to leave?**

"**This is Cahill land," Olivia and. "Given by royal charted. You are a guest here, but no longer. Leave now, my lord. I must bury my husband."**

**Vesper stared at her, his knuckles white on pommel of his sword. Olivia met his eyes and let him know that she- a woman, a grieving wife and mother—was more dangerous right now than any weapon he could ever create. She would get her way, or she would destroy him.**

**One dangerous predator to another, Lord Vesper seemed to understand her. He nodded, his cold eyes boring into hers.**

"**Very well," he decided. "There is nothing left here worthy of my attention, at any rate. But, madam, I am still the lord of these lands. I will keep my eye on you and your family. If I find you have deceived me, if I come to suspect the you have hidden anything from me—"**

"**A widow and her children?" Olivia asked, feigning amazement. "How could we hide something form the eyes of Lord Vesper?"**

"She's really getting into this act that we know nothing," Sinead complained.

"She's just trying to shake off Vesper from her trail," Natalie said.

**Vesper wavered, perhaps catching a whiff of her sarcasm, but his pride won out. "Indeed," he muttered. "Remember me, madam. For I will remember you."**

**Olivia did not relax until they reached the docks in the distance. She watched as the guards began preparing the lord's boat for crossing.**

**She turned to the ruins of her family house, the burned garden, and the dining table sitting in the fields, the only part of her life left unscathed.**

**She looked down at her husband's pale face. No one would help her bury him, but she would manage. She would lay him to rest in the some graveyard where Cahills had been buried for generations.**

"I don't remember seeing Gideon's grave in the graveyard the last time we were there," Amy murmured.

"Maybe the tombstone writing already faded," Dan guessed. "That place is pretty old, after all."

**Olivia might not be ladylike, young, or beautiful. She might not warrant a second look from a man like Lord Vesper, but she was strong. She could handle a shovel as well as a dagger or a cooking fire.**

**She slipped Gideon's gold ring on her finger, though it was much too big. She would need a chain to it around her neck, she decided.**

"**I will keep it safe, Gideon," she promised. "Vesper will never have it."**

"I wonder where that ring is now," Hamilton said. Ian's eyes wandered over the black and white cast.

**Whatever Lord Vesper was hunting, he wouldn't succeed—not as long as Olivia Cahill drew breath. And she had a more important goal to keep her going. She must find a way to bring her children back.**

"**Someday, Gideon," she swore, "our family will sit again around this dining table. We**_** will**_** come together."**

"Most of us were under the table in the Gauntlet. Would that count?" Jonah asked.

**She glanced up as the morning sun illuminated the cliffs. Near the top was the cave where Gideon had proposed to her, and the where Gideon's great ancestor, Madeleine the Matriarch, had surveyed the island and claimed it for her own.**

**Olivia rested her hand on her belly, thought she could not feel the child kicking yet.**

"**I will name you Madeleine," she said. "You and I will preserve this place and bring our family back together."**

"But what if the baby was a dude?" Dan questioned, knowing that there's no machines to tell what the gender of the child is during those times. "Wouldn't it be funny if the kid was a dude and his name was Madeleine?"

"The poor kid," Hamilton empathized, chuckling ever so lightly.

**Olivia kissed her husband's golden ring. She would keep the ring a secret, next to her heart, for the rest of her life.**

**She must be strong. She needed no serum for that. She only needed her faith in her family. Someday, the Cahills would reunite. No one, not even Lord Damien Vesper, would stop her from succeeding.**

**She picked up a shovel from the garden and went to dig her husband's grave.**

"And that," Sinead said, closing the book, "is the end of Gideon's story."

"There's still another story to read," Ned pointed out.

"I know that but it's getting late," Sinead yawned.

Mike stood up from the green leather couch and took out his golden pocket watch. "You're right, Starling. Time for bed and all of you will be sleeping here for the next few days."

"WHAT?" That outburst came from a young female Kabra. "I'm going to sleep here for how long?"

"Oh, you misunderstood me. You're not sleeping in this very room," Mike clarified. "Jade, show them to their rooms."

"With pleasure," she said, taking out the Remote. "Everybody form a straight line. We're headed to your bedrooms."

They did as they were told. Jade pushed a button and Amy half expected the walls turning into multiple speakers. Instead, a door opened.

From where they were standing.

The air rushed though her reddish-brown hair as they all fell into the dark chamber below, screaming with brother's hand gripping her's. She closed her eyes and held out her other hand for the collision with the floor, but a she felt a force stop her from hitting the ground. She took a safe peek around and realized that she was floating in air, inches away from the floor.

"Whoa, this is so cool," Dan hooted, floating beside her. She noticed that everyone was floating in a horizontal position, except for their hosts. Their feet were firmly in the ground.

"I know right," Jade said, snapping her fingers. We landed on the ground with a great THUD!

"Welcome, to the hallway where you could find your bedrooms," Gabby said. "I know, not a good name for a hallway with exact copies of your bedrooms and more!"

"Copies of our bedrooms?" The Holts asked in chorus.

"And MORE?" Dan's eye twinkled with enthusiasm.

The three nodded. A switch flicked on and the chamber was illuminated. Amy stood up and stared at the several doors, all color coordinated by branch.

Ian circled his shoulder. "I'll be in my room. Natalie, go to yours." He went inside the red door marked with his name. Natalie huffed, straightening her hair and barged into her room. That's when they heard her screamed.

"Natalie," Ian cried, coming out his room and going to hers. The rest of them followed his example to see what was happening to Natalie.

"A whole new clothing line of Prada and Chanel," she squeaked, clutching one of the dresses on her pink bed. She turned to her hosts, standing in front of the curious crowd of Cahill relatives. "Where did you get it?"

Jade smirked and elbowed her cousin. "This guy got it from his aunt."

Mike scowled. "She's your aunt, too."

"Yeah, by I'll never in this lifetime call her Aunt—"

Gabby clamped her friend's mouth. "Information overload. You need a time out, Jade. Maybe a snack or some sleep."

Jade squirmed, trying to break free from the strong grip. Mike just chuckled at the scene and made a gesture that it's time to leave.

"Good night, my relatives," Mike bowed, as Gabby dragged Jade away from the room. And then he left.

"Nice room," Dan said sarcastically before running out to see what his room looked like. Natalie didn't notice his mordant comment. She was too busy looking through her dresses for a good nightgown.

Amy, in her opinion, thought the room had a pink princess theme. That fits considering that Natalie thinks that she's royalty, which she is. Distantly. The room had pink wallpapers with crowns on them.

_And the Lucian crest, _she thought squinting her eyes.

Overall, it was pink haven for any fashionable 12-year old girl. Waving goodbye to Natalie, she headed for her room.

Stopping in front of the black door with gold letters spelling **AMY CAHILL**, she felt nervous. What if when they were all sleeping, they would inject some kind of poison so they won't wake up?

Someone touched her shoulder. She turned around and completely regretted it. Standing beside her was Mike, smiling sweetly at her presence. Two pink roses formed on her cheeks.

"Good night, Amy. Hope you sleep well, with your brother will most likely be playing his silly ninja videogame beside your room all night."

Unfortunately, Mike was correct when he said that Dan was playing his video games. She took a peep inside his room and saw him playing with an Xbox 360. Despite the fact that the room seemed to be quite bigger than the room he owned, its whole image was exactly like the one in Grace's guesthouse. Even the windows, it showed the field that was located in Massachusetts. She almost felt like she was back there, with Nellie, Uncle Fiske, and Saladin.

"We could only bring the cat," Mike said.

"What?" Amy turned to him, wearing a confused expression.

"We're not allowed to bring adults in this reading group," Mike explained. "It's not what we planned in the first place, but a cat in the room will make no difference."

"But—"

"Good night, Miss Cahill," he repeated, walking up to his cousin. Jade was giggling about something with Gabby.

"Speak of the devil, he's finally here," Jade said, arms folded and hips cocked. She was holding the black device that worked around the room. "We could finally leave and sleep in our own beds."

Amy entered her room after the three teens left with a whoosh! She didn't how it happened. They were simply . . . gone.

_When it's a weird day, it's time to hit the hay,_ Amy thought oddly. She was so tired she didn't even change her clothes. All she did was rest her head on the soft pillow and she drifted to sleep.

* * *

><p>It was already midnight, but the three kids couldn't sleep.<p>

Mike thought he should stop calling himself a kid. He was fifteen, for God's sakes.

He turned over and saw Gabby fiddling with her amulet again. She's been doing it for days now. She has to end that habit.

_And what about you? _his consciousness asked. _What's your bad habit?_

Doubt. He always doubted he could do great things like his parents. He doubted that he could take care of his thirteen year old cousin. He even doubted that he could make it back alive if they went back to that horrible place the three were transported months ago.

Well, it wasn't that horrible. Neither Gabby nor Jade complained of staying there. I was the one who convinced them to come home. And it's because the only thing he hated about that place was those two Neanderthals.

He turned over and groaned. He hated sleeping on the floor when a huge canopy bed was waiting for him in the other side.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah, I'm done with Gideon!**

**I want to thank IJustcantChoose for always being supportive of this fan fiction.**

**The Madeleine story will be up in just a bit.**


	10. When There's A Will There's Hardly A Way

**Chapter 10: When There Is A Will, There Is Hardly A Way**

_RING! __There's a stranger in my bed, there's a pounding in my head. __Glitter all over the room, __pink flamingos in the pool. __I smell like a minibar. __DJ's passed out in the yard. __Barbie's on the barbeque. __Is this a hickie or a bruise? __Pictures of last night__ended up online. __I'm screwed! __Oh, well. __It's a blacked out blur __but I'm pretty sure it ruled. __Damn! __Last Friday night . . ._

"Jade," Mike groused. "Answer your phone. I'm trying to sleep . . ."

With a strangled moan, Jade raised herself on her elbow and squint her eyes in the dim light. She checked her wristwatch. 2:00 a.m.

"Jade, your phone . . ." her cousin grumbled once more, placing a pillow over his head.

"Yeah, yeah. Hold your horses," she said, rubbing her eyes. Her blue manicured fingers brushed the outer covering of her phone. She picked it up and answered amid a tired yawn.

"Hello, Jade speaking," she responded. All she heard was a crackle of static. She raised an eyebrow.

"Hello?" she said again, standing up to get a better signal. Static, and nothing but.

She shrugged and hung up, still wanting to know who tried to call her.

_Maybe it was Dad._

Without thinking of the consequences, she trudged over to a bulgy sleeping bag and zipped it open, where a black-haired girl slept soundly.

Jade got her megaphone and bend over the girl, blaring out a loud "WAKE UP!"

Gabby's head jerked up and hit Jade's jaw. Mike stirred but continued to snooze after the silent whimpers of his friends.

"What was that all about?" Gabby hissed, scratching her hair. "Don't you know what time it is?"

Jade nodded, gripping her chin. "Yeah, but can you just take me to Cahill Manor for a bit? I can't get any electronic signal in this place."

"Why should I? It's the middle of the night and we could get captured by the Vespers. If Mike finds out we're gone, he will blow a gasket."

Jade placed her hand on her hip and gave her a confused look. "When did I ever care what my cousin says?"

Gabby was about to reply when Mike snorted his slumber. She gaped at Jade's oh-so-perfect cousin. Jade always knew she had a thing for him, but she never sees reason to date him. Sure, he has a big head and maybe all the great expectations fall on him. But that doesn't mean he's not a sweet and caring guy.

_Blargh. I can't believe I just thought of that._

"Earth to Gabby," Jade said, getting Gabby's attention back. "Just take me there for a little while. Pretty please, with a big splash of chocolate syrup on top."

Gabby considered this and nodded. "Alright, but you're showing me some of Mike's childhood photos when we get back." She held out her hand.

Jade smirked as she squeezed Gabby's hand tightly as the shadows around them started to move. "I thought you'll never ask," she purred maliciously.

The shadows swallowed them whole and spat the girls inside the living room of Cahill manor, located in London, England. Jade stumbled a bit but got to her feet firmly on the ground. Gabby's face was always implanted on the floor. Jade helped her up.

"We're here, right? Is the location?" she said sleepily, scanning the area.

"Yup, it's home," Jade said bluntly, looking at the crumbling ruins of what used to be her cousin's beloved home. The only thing standing was the marble floor with the giant black C crest whenever you enter through the main doors. And also, the secret base of Madrigals under the mansion, below the ocean, where the young Cahills were currently sleeping. The rest was all rubble, from the inside and out.

She breathed in the smell of gun powder and ash and stared into the dark distance of what used to be the front porch opening to a pasture with flowers now reduced cinders. All those reunions, the memories she shared inside this mansion and beyond. Destroyed.

"Vespers," Gabby said angrily through her gritted teeth. "Hurry up and call—Umph."

Jade was examining the one of the beautiful pillars that held up the pavilion when she heard the muffled cry. She twirled around and grinned, happy to see another cousin safe and sane.

"Will," she cried, running towards the fallen Janus agents. Once again, Will has bumped into another person. He's always clumsy, in a way, though he's very mature, in certain situations.

"Get off of me," Gabby grunted, pushing the African-American boy off her chest. He was wearing a camouflage outfit, covered with dirt. "Who is this dude?"

Jade smirked at what she's going to say to her. "He's the guy who keeps "hitting" on your man."

Gabby and Will gaped at each other. Jade had to chuckle on her own little joke. See, whenever Will appears he somehow always ends on top of Mike. That's why lots of the cousins mistake those two as gay lovers. Those rumors really annoyed Jade. Their parents try to explain that Will's just a clumsy 16-year-old, but it never got through to the relatives.

Cahills are stubborn. Enough is said.

"So, he's the kid actor I'm related to," Gabby said, standing up and brushing off particles from her pants. She held out her hand to her. "Nice to meet you. My name is Gabri—I mean, Gabby."

Will looked at her and her hand skeptically. Then he took the gesture with a firm grip and flashed his red carpet grin. Jade coughed uncomfortably because he was staring at her with interest.

"And you," Will said with an edge, "why did you hang up on me?"

Jade raised an eyebrow, slightly upset that he's angry at her. And it wasn't her father. "You're the one who called?"

He nodded, glancing back at Gabby. "I wanted to join on your so-called great project when I heard about another person joining your group. I thought you and Mike were a duo?"

"Keyword: were. Mike and I took her under our wings," Jade said, flapping her arms like a graceful swan.

"And I thank you for that," Gabby smiled, still looking at Will uncertainly.

"So, is there any news about my Dad? Anything at all?" Jade asked the actor. He shook his head in reply.

"I haven't heard any news for months. I've been living as a hobo so not much reports got to me," he said sadly, inserting his hands inside his baggy camo pants. "But I did hear that Mary and her siblings are coming here in a few days to find other Cahill refugees, so I came here earlier to find you."

Jade blushed at that. Will noticed this and quickly added, "Mike, too. Of course."

"Right," she waved off, ignoring Gabby's smug grins. "Well, when Mary gets here, she could stay with us. I guess."

"So, am I in?" Will pleaded, approaching Jade with one great step.

"Um," she said, looking over his shoulder to see Gabby shaking her head rapidly. "Sure, why not."

Will gave a big whoop while Gabby did a face palm. Jade, realizing that his presence might ruin their whole operation, wanted to say it was all a big joke.

But the sound of faint gun shots cut off her voice.

"It's them. They found me," Will shouted.

"What? You led the Vespers here?" Gabby exclaimed, staring in the distance.

A red dot suddenly appeared in his forehead. Another dot on Gabby's chest and Jade bet her pack of shurikens that she had one on her back, as well.

"Get down," she yelled, tackling the two dazed Januses to the ground. A whirring sound hummed loudly then huge lasers zapped over their heads.

"Run," Jade breathed, getting herself up after the lasers were over. She hauled them behind a pillar when she heard more gunshots coming from the side.

"Where are they coming from?" Gabby said, trying to look through the dust clouds. They were getting closer, judging from the faint lights coming their way.

"We got to get out of here." Jade took out her knife and nodded at Gabby. "Travel us back to the base."

"What about this guy?" she asked, pointing at the alert Will. "No one is supposed to know about my p—"

Jade bonked Will with a block of cement from at the back. She winced as he slumped back onto the collapsed ceiling, out cold from the hit. She grabbed his arm tightly and reached for Gabby's.

"Now," Jade cried, closing her eyes. A sensation of cold air rushed through her face. The creepy sounds that she heard when passing through the shadows didn't irked her any more. But the feeling of her face peeling off did.

She opened her eyes and was greeted by a vast amount of darkness. They were back inside their room.

Gabby's grip loosened and she fainted to the floor. Jade let go of Will's arm and he landed beside Mike's sleeping bag. She'll have to worry about that awkward position between her cousin and her crush later.

_3:00 a.m._

They've been gone for an hour and Mike never noticed. Must be a new record.

Humming happily, she slipped her knife back into her secret compartment located inside the base of her black sneakers and laid back on her resting spot.

And that concludes another secret misadventure of Jade Roberts.

* * *

><p>The first thing Amy expected when she woke up was that she forgot to do her homework yesterday. Then, she remembered that she was kidnapped by Ian . . . no, Ian's double called Mike, his hyperactive cousin Jade, and a girl named Gabby to read about more helpful information on the Vespers. That's all she knew about them so far, overlooking that Gabby and Mike share some kind of love interest between them.<p>

She sat up and rubbed her tired eyes. Sunlight peered through the floral curtains. She smelled the fresh air that was coming from the outside. She smiled at the butterfly that greeted her in the window sill.

"Your room is lovely, isn't it?" a British voice said behind her. She twirled around to see Ian sitting on her working area, with breakfast on her study table. His hair was messy. The suit he's wearing was full of wrinkles and his red tie was undone. The only thing neat on his body was the orange sweater vest he was wearing under his coat. He certainly doesn't dress like Ian, so Amy assumed this must be Mike.

"Why are you here?" she said angrily, her fear hiding in her spine. Mike smiled.

"You didn't ask if I was Ian. Good," he said, nodding happily. "The people I visited called me Ian. At least some people could see the difference. The Kabra boy certainly did. Although, he was still half-asleep so he thought I was his consciousness taken into a solid form. Then he said certain things . . ." There was an amused glint in his eye.

"Why do you look like Ian?" Amy asked stupidly, but Mike found this question entertaining.

"I've told lies, Miss Cahill. Everyone does," Mike mused, sitting down on the end of her bed. "But the difference between me and Ian is that I lie for the benefit of others and worry lest on the impact on me."

He patted his hand on hers, his fingers brushing her watch. She pulled back her hand and two pink blots appeared in her cheeks, but he hardly noticed. His eyes were fixed on the watch.

"Well," he said, standing up and heading for the door, "I'm off."

"Wait," Amy called out before he could turn the knob. He looked over his shoulder and asked, "What?"

"You didn't answer my question. Why do you look like Ian? Are you two related?"

Before he went out, Mike gave Amy an answer that got her into a confused state.

"That is up to you, Amy."

* * *

><p><em>How can it be up to me if they're related?<em>

She been asking that question since his back turned on her. Showered, dressed and eating freshly cooked bacon and pancakes, she made a theory about that statement. And that theory made her worry.

There was a knock on her door. And Gabby's head poked inside, scanning the room.

"Hello, I'm sorry to disturb. Are you done eating?" she asked, looming towards Amy. Amy pushed her half-eaten plate away from her. She was in no mood to eat any more.

"I lost my appetite," Amy mumbled, looking down on her shoes. Gabby bent down and peered at Amy's face.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, the tone of her voice filled with concern.

Amy looked at Gabby like she was crazy. "My brother, my relatives and I are somehow kidnapped during breakfast. We're being held captive by three kids and treat us like we're guests. Plus, your friend Mike looks like the jerk that I still don't trust. So yeah, something is seriously wrong."

Silence passed them for a short time only. Gabby burst out laughing and Amy joined in heartily. Amy didn't know why but she felt Gabby had innocent impression, unlike Mike or Jade. Like she was new to all this weirdness and is trying to cope with it, like when Amy and Dan were during the clue hunt.

"Yeah," Gabby chortled. "I'm sorry about that. It's just for the good of the family and all." She looked to her side her smile widened. "May I?" she asked, pointing at the shelf of books.

Before Amy could even shrug a simple yes, she bounded for the shelves.

"Whoa, you have the hard bound copy of _The Lightning Thief,_" she marveled, her hand scanning across the cover. Amy stood up and walked to her side, staring the book then back at her.

"Yeah, I guess," Amy uncertainly said, remembering that the cover was just hard paper before. "Do you read this?"

Gabby nodded. "It's the story where my . . ." She hesitated. "My favorite character, Percy Jackson, finds out he's a demigod."

Amy looked at her doubtfully. She was about to say something important. "Good book."

"The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, The Narnia books, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Hatchet, Emma, The Hobbit, A Wrinkle in Time, Nancy Drew, Oliver Twist, The Little Princess, The DaVinci Code, Matilda," Gabby muttered, reading the titles of all the books Amy owned. She turned to Amy and gave her a smile. "You have a nice collection of books, Amy. My mom hardly bought me any . . ."

Gabby went silent. Amy remembered that they mentioned her mother is dead yesterday. She lifted a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up and gave me a sheepish yet painful smile.

"I don't mean to pry but," Amy paused to see how she'll react to her question, "how old were you when she died?"

Tears swelled up in her dark eyes. She turned away and attempted to wipe the tears away. She kept sniffing.

"I'm sorry," Amy said guiltily.

"No," Gabby answered softly. "It's fine. I'm just turned 13 and my mom . . . she died months ago. Right before my eyes, while she was just reading me a book. Everything was peaceful before . . ." She walked towards the window and peeked out.

"Bang," she said weakly, water running down her cheeks. "Right into her forehead." Amy covered her mouth in shock. That was truly traumatic for a 12-year-old girl and far more different than Amy's situation of losing her parents. They died in a fire and Amy didn't witness them burn, though she always had nightmares on how they did. Gabby, however, was there when her mother was shot on the head.

"I—"

Gabby shot her a sad look. "I don't need your sympathy, Amy. I've already experienced many loss in my life."

That got Amy thinking. If Gabby's mother is dead, what about her father? She was tempted to ask, but Amy saw she already did enough damage on the poor girl.

"I'm not a softy," she chuckled, as if she read Amy's mind. Amy blinked. Using her neck sleeve, Gabby wiped the last of her tears and beamed at the 15-year-old. "If you ever compare me with my other companions, you'll see that I'm actually holding the group up."

"Speaking of your friends," Amy started, taking a seat on her bed and gesturing the girl to follow, "what's up with your friend Mike?"

Gabby laughed more as she took a seat beside her. "You tell me."

"What?" she asked.

Gabby blushed. "Nothing."

She scratched the back of her neck uncomfortably. With that, Amy found even more believable pieces of her absurd theory.

Amy opened her mouth to ask about it, but another thought occurred to her. What if she was wrong? So she went with the next question that popped into her head.

"What do you think about Ian?" Amy clamped her mouth before she continued. Gabby looked at her incredulously.

"Because Mike said you know all about us," Amy piped, before closing her mouth again. Gabby sighed with a grin.

"I warned him," Gabby muttered, shaking her head. "He never listens."

Amy raised an eyebrow at the mysterious person. This conversation was going nowhere.

"I have to go now," Gabby declared, standing up. "And I suggest you come, too. We're about to read Madeleine's story. I think you'll be very interested by the info you're about to find out."

Amy nodded. When they reached the door, Gabby finally answered her question.

"Ian is a nice guy but jerky and annoying whenever he's around you for his own pleasure. You should take a chance on him, though." Gabby opened the door for Amy and Amy's face went scarlet.

"Lies," Amy whispered as she passed the amused black-haired girl. Amy shouldn't have pitied her. She thinks that I trust her completely. Amy may be a Madrigal, but she's still suspicious of everybody. That might be their plan: to make them think that they're all innocent and they want to help the Cahills.

Amy agreed to this theory, just to forget her other one.

They went out into the hall from last night. It was very quiet. Amy felt that no one was inside any of the rooms.

"Where are the others?" she asked.

"They were all woken up by Jade with her loud megaphone. She did it to me too," she said sourly. "You should've seen how your brother jumped when Jade yelled, "WAKE UP!" He went into a ninja pose and fell off of bed. Then, Jade handed him his breakfast. They're all upstairs, waiting for you. No doubt in chaos because of a certain someone." Gabby giggled.

Amy sighed. "Is it Dan?"

"Nope," she smiled, shaking her head. She held out her hand to Amy. "You'll see, come on."

"O-okay," she stammered, accepting the gesture. Amy shivered for her hand was ice cold. She looked up at the dark ceiling in which she fell through previously. "So, are we going to be shot up or . . ."

"Oh, we're not going that way. Not in that sense," she whispered. Without saying, Gabby ran towards the dark end of the hall, dragging Amy straight into it. Amy dug her heels on the pavement, but there was no friction. She realized her shoes had no soles.

"Wait," Amy cried, trying to pull her hand off from the small girl's iron grip. "What are you—"

"GERONIMO!" Gabby screamed in the top of her lungs as the two girls tumble into the darkness.

**~10 minutes ago in the Reading Room upstairs~**

"Hey, that's mine. It was from my room."

"No, it's mine, Madison!"

"Holts, break it up."

"Filthy little peasant, your cat ruined my new dre—ACHOO!"

"Natalie, did you take your medications?"

"Left it in da wroom."

Mike's eye lid twitched in annoyance. Jade popped another piece of popcorn in her mouth.

"Hey, clone, where's my sister?" Dan yelled. Saladin struggling from his hold as Natalie kept sneezing on her dress because of the cat hair.

Mike rubbed his temples. "She's getting ready with Gabby. You'll have to wait for a while."

Jade crunched her food with her mouth open. "Un Yohan sstilintid his grum xin dis dluks."

"Manners, Jade," Mike said, flicking a food particle that landed on his messed up suit. "Chew, swallow, and repeat."

She swallowed. "Killjoy," she muttered to herself. "And Jonah still inside his room, fixing his looks. There, happy?"

Natalie covered her mouth before she sneezed and paused to look at Jade. "What do you mean Jonah? Isn't Jonah here right now, taking a nap on his couch?" She pointed at the sleeping figure wearing a camo outfit.

"You're right," Ian said, staring at his dirty face. "He does need to fix his looks."

Mike cleared his throat, glaring at Jade. She shrugged innocently. His palm slapped his face gently as he sighed.

"That's not Jonah," Mike said, making everyone silent. "It's another relative of ours. His name is Will."

They all looked at him in awe. Will snorted in his sleep and shifted in his slumber.

"He looks like the Wizard," Dan observed.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious," a voice behind them said. The clue hunters' heads all twisted to see Gabby and Amy in front of another dark portal. The two girls buckled their knees and collapsed on the ground, both tired.

"Amy," cried Dan and Ian simultaneously.

"Gabby," said Mike and Jade in exclamation.

"Whut?" Will yawned through all that commotion.

The four ran to aid their friends. Dan kneeled on Amy's side and carried her head in his arms and Ian crouched in her other side and took hold of her hand. Dan shot a warning look at Ian but he ignored it. Now was time to worry about Amy, not her lover.

"Sis, wake up," said Dan. He touched her forehead. She was ice cold.

"Gabby! Come on, now is not a time to joke," Mike said, holding her shoulders and constantly shaking them. Jade got her megaphone out and nodded at Mike. He took a step back.

"NEW BOOKS GABBY AND CHOCOLATE SUNDAES."

That did the trick to both of the girls. Their eyes snapped open at the first mention of BOOKS.

"What? Where? Oh . . ." Gabby closed her eyes, preparing for the explosion. Jade simply jabbed her index fingers on both of her ears.

"What were you thinking? Do you know if you keep using your powers you might never open your eyes again? Maybe you should wear your father's—"

"Alright, _Dad,_" Gabby said feebly, cutting his sentence off. "I'll follow from now on. And should stop being a nag. You're becoming like your mother, from what I've heard." She glanced at Jade.

"Amy," Dan breathed, hugging his sister tightly. "You're okay. You're okay."

"Of course, I'm okay," she said in a muffled tone. She pushed Dan away and stared at him oddly. He hardly hugs her.

He coughed and rubbed his head. "Er, right. Sorry."

But Ian wasn't convinced. "What did happened when passed through that portal?" he whispered to Amy.

She blushed. "It was cold and dark and we were traveling fast. And I could hear voices," she managed to answer back. She looked up to him and saw in his eyes that he was in deep thought.

"What are you—"

He placed his finger on Amy's lips. "Not now. Too many witnesses."

She just realized that everyone was staring at her, even their hosts. Her face grew even hotter.

"Amy, don't turn into a tomato on me," Dan joked.

Amy stood up with Dan's help, ignoring the eyes gazing on the scene. She walked over to the Madrigal couch and sat down, still blushing red. Saladin jumped onto her lap and she stroked his fur with love. Then, she noticed Will, sitting up on the green couch and rubbing his eyes.

"Hey, Jonah. What are you wearing?" Amy asked across the room as everyone went to their respected seats.

"Huh?" he said, still half-asleep. "I'm not Jonah, man. I'm his . . ." His voice faltered when his scanned the room. His eyes widened.

"O. M. G. What the heck—"

"DOONNNN'TT!" Mike yelled, running towards Will and knocking him off the sofa. They both landed on the floor with a thump.

And that's when the real Jonah came in from the floor boards.

"Yo, what's happening . . ." Jonah was flabbergasted by what he saw in front of him. It was two guys on top of each other. And they looked just like Ian and Jonah.

Amy gaped. Dan took out a camera. Natalie was trying not to laugh. Saladin gave a confused "Mrrp."

"Mike," Jade whispered. Gabby turned to look at her friend nervously. Jade's head was down, her hands were tightly clenched into her fists on her lap, her limbs were closed, and her back was in a horrible slouch. Clearly anyone, even a person with a brain the size of a pea, could see that this super agent is mad.

That is just the biggest understatement Gabby made in her entire living existence.

"TRAITOR," Jade shouted, knocking Mike off of Will. And another battle commenced.

"Will," Gabby said, helping the poor boy up. She whispered in his ear as the two cousins rumbled on the floor, which took about 10 minutes or so.

Will nodded and Gabby smiled. He understood the situation and he knew how to stop the two from fighting.

"Okay, time out guys," he called out, snapping Mike, Jade, Jonah, and Ian from the fight. "Sorry, didn't know what was happening. It just so surprising to see them like—OW!"

Gabby elbowed him. Jade and Mike dispersed back to their seats with bruises. Jonah was not making any sense of this at all.

"Jonah, sit down. We'll explain after we read Madeleine's tale." Mike took out the red book from his coat and threw it at Ian, who caught it effortlessly. Jonah sat down, eyeing his dirty commando doppelganger.

"I believe it's your turn to read, Kabra, since Ned Starling here would take time to read with his constant headaches."

Sinead stood up in defense. "He's getting better."

Mike raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Why you—"

"Now is not the time," Jade said, interrupting Ted's sentence. "Kabra, read."

Ian opened the page with a peculiar bookmarker. A black chocker with a silver skull hanging from the middle.

"Mike, it's my . . ." Gabby was in a loss for words.

"Your bookmarker, yes," Mike continued, eyeing the chocker carefully. "There's no harm in using it for the book."

Gabby reluctantly nodded and gestured Ian to read.

"**MADELEINE CAHILL; 1526**"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for not updating so soon. I had exams. Enough said! I hope some of my viewers are still with me.**

**I don't own anything you've seen or heard in real life.**


	11. Madeleine Part 1

**Chapter 11: Madeleine Part 1**

"**As the last student fell unconscious to his desk, Madeleine Babbitt thought about lies,**" Ian read.

"Babbit?" Reagan asked. She looked at the Madrigals. "I thought she's a Cahill."

"I believe it's just cover name," Natalie answered. "Not that you dolts use them. Anyone could recognize you're a Holt from a mile away with your tight purple jumpsuits."

The Holts glared at the pampered Lucian.

"But the cover name _Babbit_ is a bit low for Cahill standards," Natalie purred, ignoring Dan's glowering looks.

"It's an easy name," was all he said.

**She'd lived inside them all her life. Lies and secrets. **

"Olivia put her up to that for her their own safety," Amy said, remembering what her grandmother did to them.

**Now she could shout out the truth, and no one would hear it. She smiled as she pulled a pencil from under the face of a slumped-over Flynn O'Halloran. His head thumped, echoing through the Xenophilus** **Institute of Alchemy, a grand name for a one-room schoolhouse made of clay and dried peat.**

"Too true," Ian muttered brusquely.

_**Maddy Babbitt, scared as a rabbit,**_** they called her. She had acted the part almost all of her nineteen years. To keep attention away. To keep from being noticed. She almost believed she**_** was**_** that person. The stammer and the apologies had become part of her until her bolder side nearly faded away. **

"So that's where love got her cute stutter," Ian said.

"Don't call me that," Amy hissed.

_**A sleeping potion—aren't you boring enough?**_** he'd taunted. Everyone had dared her to demonstrate. So she had.**

"That explains the unconsciousness," Sinead murmured.

**And it felt wonderful.**

**"****Sleep well, my friends," she said, capping a vial of amber liquid. She glanced outside, looking for Professor Xenophilus****who had missed class today. A pity. He was probably lost in his own laboratory work, concocting medicines and marvelous inventions.**

**"****As you only sniffed the potion on a handkerchief," she continued to the silence class, "you will waken in five minutes, fizzy and refreshed. Had it entered you bloodstream directly, it would take an hour."**

"Amazing." Amy marveled her ancestor.

The Starlings scoffed. "Katherine could've beaten her in potion making."

**Her stammer was gone. How liberation to speak to a stupefied audience! **

Amy sighed to herself. _I wish I could do that to my class._

_Except for Evan, of course._

Amy caught Mike's eye and she knew that he knows what she's thinking. Mike shook his head in disappointment.

**As she placed the vial into a pouch that hung around her neck, she felt fit to burst. Two decades of pent-ups secrets bounced around inside her like unruly puppies before an opening door. "And also," she blurted out, "my name is not Maddy Babbitt! It's Madeleine . . ."**

_**Say it! Go ahead.**_

**But try as she might, the name **_**Cahill**_** stuck in her throat. Her training was bone deep.**

"That's good. Too risky to reveal yourself even with a knocked out crowd," Jade lectured.

**As sunlight poked through the clouds and into the room, a tiny windmill of black-and-white sails began to turn on a table. There knocked a pebble down a chute, striking a hook that released a weighted pulley, which in turn raised a small spring-loaded hammer. The hammer then struck a brass gong, signifying the end of alchemy class.**

**Soon the distant tune would sound-Mother summoning her, excepting help in the apothecary. **

"What's an apothecary?" Hamilton and Dan asked together.

"It's a place where you can buy medicine," Amy answered.

**Leaving behind the sleepers, Madeleine raced outside. She sped down a sloping path through heather and scrub. A low bank of clouds swept over the moor, casting the village of Scáth below in gray-green mist.**

**Madeleine looked up to the soft-ceilinged sky as she ran. She thought of her father, a man she never met. Mother claimed he had been the greatest alchemist and an even better father. She hoped that wherever he was, he was looking down and seeing the results of her alchemy training. Even more, she hoped he was proud.**

"I bet he would, even now," Mike smiled.

**In a moment, her shoes hit the cobblestone of town. She wove through winding alleys that echoed with the distant sound of a tin flute, piercing and sweet. This was Mother playing a tune called, "Bhaile Anois," which meant **_**home now**_**.**

"I've never heard of it." Jonah was now confused. "And I've heard almost every song written."

"That's a lie," Will pointed out.

"How'd you—"

"Moving on," Jade interrupted.

**It was composed by Father and had become the traditional Cahill family song of summoning.**

"Oh," was all Jonah said.

**As she ran, Madeleine waved to the pink-faced baker and soot-blackened chimney sweep, the burly butcher and weary lamplighter.**

"If she and Olivia work inside an apothecary, anyone with a sickness would come to their aid. That would be a disadvantage if they're trying to blend in," Ian stated. "Vesper would find them eventually."

"Are you trying to bring bad luck to them?" Amy asked him.

"I'm just simply stating the obvious," Ian said inoffensively. "Besides, this is a story of the past. We can't change it."

Amy glumly laid back on her leather settee.

**She dashed around the corner of Front Street. Carriages groaned up the hill, passing an old beggar woman who slept in the shadow of an abandoned stable. Ahead, the street descended toward the lake, where it flattened and followed the gentle curve of the bank. At the bottom of the hill stood O. Babbitt & Daughter Apothecary.**

**Madeleine slowed. Before the shop, a crowd of people had gathered in the streets. A group of men was pounding on the front door. They were dressed in hooded capes of purple and black.**

Ian looked at Amy with a hollow smug smile. He was right about a bad event.

**Behind the stood a massive wooden dray cart tethered to pack horses. On the cart, three men lay moaning and half dead. Shackled to the cart's frame, his clothes ripped and face covered in blood, was Professor Xenophilus.**

Amy gasped.

**Madeleine stopped.**

**The old man slowly turned his gaze up the hill. His deadened eyes settle on her. He gestured feebly with an arm that hung at an odd, unnatural angle. **_**Run away,**_** his body language was saying.**

**One of the caped men spun toward Xenophilus, smacking his head with an open fist. The teacher's knees crumpled and he fell to the cobblestones. "Old fool," the man bellowed, "are ye sure there be Cahills here?"**

**Madeleine stumbled backward at the sound of the name she'd only heard uttered by her mother.**

**How did they know? How could Xenophlius—?**

_**Last week.**_

"What happened last week?" Dan asked. No one answered.

**Under her teacher's observation she'd sampled an earlier version of the formula. Just a bit. Upon awakening, he'd scolded her about proper dosage. Too strong, and the potion induced coma! Ah, but too weak, and the recipient was half awake, unable to stop saying his or her innermost thoughts!**

"The formula must've have been weak and she uttered her name," Amy said.

**The look on his face had startled Madeleine. His usual jovial, patient expression had changed. He seemed confused, as if seeing her for the first time.**

_**I must have told him that day,**_** she thought.**_** Under the earlier, weaker formula, I must have revealed my name.**_** It made sense—her father was so often on her mind. Surely Xenophilus would have recognized the name of such a famous alchemist.**

"Who wouldn't? Gideon is awesome," Dan cried. Hamilton and Jade nodded in agreement.

**And now the secret had been beaten out of him—**_**because of me,**_** she thought. But by whom? Who were these people?**

"Vespers," Gabby whispered dourly. Mike held her hand and squeezed it.

**A loud crack rang out. The men were using a wooden ram now, and the apothecary door was about to give.**

**"We know you're in there, woman!" a voice shouted.**

**"Mother!" Madeleine screamed, running down the hill.**

**As she passed the stable, the beggar woman moved. Springing to her feet, she grasped Madeleine by the neck and dragged her into the shadows.**

"Page break," Ian announced. He handed the book to Natalie, who unenthusiastically took it.

"Oh, no," Amy cried. Mike stifled a yawn.

"Oh, I wouldn't be too worried for her," Mike said.

Jade glared at her cousin. "You read ahead, didn't you?"

He shrugged. "What can I say? A good story calls on me every time. You'll definitely love the last one."

"Like parents, like kids," Jade said.

"I couldn't agree with you more." Mike nodded.

"You could continue, Natalie," Gabby sighed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm typing as fast as I can so don't worry! I'll finish this story.**

**I do not own anything you've seen or heard in real life.**


	12. Madeleine Part 2

**Chapter 12: Madeleine Part 2**

"**Over the years, Madeleine's training had included ancient fighting techniques to subdue men of great size and strength—but nothing for homeless old women in alleyways,**" Natalie read.

Everyone had to laugh at that. Especially Dan.

**"****Let go, you old buzzard!" she cried, struggling against an iron grip.**

**As she whirled and lashed, the old lady countered every move. "Good grief, will you stop making such a racket!" she finally cried out. "They'll hear us!"**

**Madeleine froze in mid struggle. She fell to the ground and looked up into her adversary's face. "**_**Mother?**_**"**

**Olivia Cahill pulled back her woolen hood. "This old buzzard just saved your life," she said.**

"What's a buzzard?" Dan asked, hoping to learn new insults.

"It's could be a vulture or a hawk," Amy replied. Dan was disappointed from the definition.

**"****I'm so sorry!" Madeleine protested.**

**Olivia put a gentle finger on her daughter's lips. "We must be quiet, and quick—"**

**Below them a voice boomed, loud and angry. **_**"**__**Open in the name of Lord Vesper!"**_

_**Vesper.**_

"Hoorah," Gabby said mordantly.

**The name hit Madeleine like a shift in air pressure. As if the entire world were converging on her, pressing against her heart and brain. All her life, Damien Vesper had seemed more bogeyman than real—the shadow in the closet, the monster under the bed. **_**He will find us or die trying,**_** Mother said. **_**And he will stop at nothing to get the secrets of the 39 Clues.**_

"They already named the master serum's ingredients _The 39 Clues_," Dan observed.

**Some monsters, Olivia had warned, were real. And to ward off the one, all Madeleine had needed to do was keep her mouth shut over the years.**

**One simple request, and she had failed.**

"**I-it's my f-fault, Mother!" Her stammer had returned with a vengeance. Madeleine felt the weight of her own betrayal. She had not only put Xenophilus's life in peril but exposed her and Olivia to their nemesis.**

"**Hush, darling daughter. It was only a matter of time. They have been trying for nearly two decades." Olivia's voice was parched. **

"It's lucky they evaded them for that long," Ted remarked.

**Reaching down into the folds of ragged dress, she pulled out a small leather box. "Consider how lucky we are that we avoided them long enough for you to be prepared."**

"Called it," Ted said.

_**Prepared?**_

**Madeleine felt anything but. Yes, for years she'd been learning the secrets of the 39 Clues, undergoing physical and mental training, tracking rumors about her siblings. Still, it had all seemed so . . . abstract. **

"Agreed," Dan said bluntly, thinking about the training he and Amy are starting inside Grace's house.

**She had been born after the explosion that killed her father. **

"Literally?" Hamilton asked, half-laughing. "Right after the fire?"

They all rolled their eyes.

**She'd never met her brothers and sisters. Somehow, the Cahill saga seemed more legend than real, like the tale of the monster Vesper.**

"If only," Amy said under her breath.

**Another boom, like a cannon shot, echoed from down below.**

**Olivia flinched. "I had such hopes**—**we would outlast him, you would never face him in your lifetime . . . But so be it. We will act quickly and decisively. Take the box—and please, recite for me your promises!"**

**Madeleine grabbed the box with shaky fingers Mother had called this the Endgame Strategy. **

"Endgame?" Madison blurted out.

"A terrible yet suitable name for the situation," Natalie replied, without a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

**She hated the name. "B-b-but you will come, too, won't you?"**

**"****He doesn't know you exist—so you must go forth alone, as planned. Your brothers and sisters are full of anger. They blame one another for your father's death. We will need to work on them. Be careful and remember: Smartest always beats strongest. **

Sinead looked at Hamilton, feeling very smug. He stuck his tongue out.

**I will destroy what little is left of your father's work, and then I shall follow. Now, please, let me hear **_**the promises **_**. . ."**

**Madeleine's mind raced, trying to remember. Father had a ring. It was an ugly thing, but it contained secrets. Secrets Olivia had never explained. **_**Keep Father's ring safe. That was Number One. Number Two was—**_

**Another sickening crack rent the air. A volley of triumphant voices.**

**The men were in.**

Amy stiffened.

**Olivia stiffened. "I will go in the back way and hope they do not find the hidden door. Go!"**

**"****But—the promises—" Madeleine protested.**

**"****Just remember them, Madeleine, and whatever you do, stay alive. And one more thing. **_**Do not look back**_**." Tears in her eyes, Olivia cupped her daughter's face and planted a kiss on her checks. "And may God go with you always!"**

**Before Madeleine could say another word, her mother was gone. Into the shadows and through a secret back door to the apothecary. **

**Madeleine stepped toward the door in pursuit. Her ears suddenly pinged with a high-pitched whoosh. She felt a trickle of blood down her neck. An arrow.**

**A finger's breathe to the left and it would have split her brain.**

"If that would've happened, we would never have been born," Dan said.

"A world without Daniel Cahill," Natalie said wistfully.

"Don't push it," he growled.

**"****You! Come out of the shadow!" a voice called up from below.**

_**He doesn't know you exist.**_

**There was work to be done. The Endgame was afoot.**

**Madeleine turned her back to the voice. Vesper could not see her face. She began to run, away from the stable, up the hill. She heard shouts and felt the zing of arrows all around her.**

**She heard another voice shout from below: "You imbecile, it's a lassie—too young for the wife! Spare my lord's arrows and help prepare the powder!"**

"Powder?" Dan asked.

**Madeleine darted around the next corner. She knelt by the brick wall of the bakery and caught her breath. Blood had pooled in the well of her collarbone. Carefully, she touched the wound, but it seemed already to be healing.**

_**The powder.**_** What had he meant by—?**

"Oh, no," Amy said, the realization dawning to her. She buried her face in her hands and waited.

**A sudden explosion rocked the stones beneath her feet. Inside the bakery, shock waves caused rolls and bread loaves to clatter to the floor.**

Amy and Dan flinched.

"Oh, that kind of powder," Dan muttered.

"Fire. Why does it always end in flames?" Amy mumbled in a ghostly whisper.

**As Madeleine scrambled to look around the corner, she heard a shriek that rose to an unearthly pitch and then ended in a guttural rattle.**

**The apothecary and the stable collapsed in a heap of brick and flames, with Olivia Cahill inside.**

**Madeleine could do nothing but scream.**

"And another frustrating page break," Natalie announced glumly.

"Wait," Hamilton said, interrupting everyone's sad thoughts. "Remember back in the gauntlet, didn't it say that Olivia die as an old woman and not in an explosion like Gideon."

"Fiske admitted he wasn't sure about those texts were actually written by Olivia herself," Amy declared.

"Maybe it was written by Madeleine. To cover her sadness of her mother's death," Dan muttered.

"Maybe," Gabby complied.

"Who's going to read next?" Natalie asked, moving the book in different directions.

"I'll do it." Jade raised her hand and she took the book. "Since I'm next to you."

She opened the page where Natalie left off and lifted the choker out its page. She handed that to Gabby, who accepted it with relief.

"Where is that . . . Ah, here."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The new chapter is up. My sister just broke my USB! And all of my new chapters were there . . . TT^TT**

**I don't own anything you've seen or heard in real life.**


	13. Madeleine Part 3

**Chapter 13: Madeleine Part 3**

"_**1. Keep the ring safe.**_

_**2. Never let anyone abuse the power of the 39 Clues.**_

_**3. Unite the Cahills when the time is right.**_" Jade read.

Amy and Dan looked at one another, the same thought passing through their minds._ All the things Madrigals are trying to do during._

**The promises were stamped in Madeleine's brain. She hadn't recited them as her mother requested, and now they would not let her go. She drew her cloak against the bitter morning wind. Hidden behind a thick copse, she brushed away tears and glanced down through tangled, thorny branches.**

**In a village cemetery, a priest intoned prayer over a freshly dug grave.**

Amy sniffed. _Just like losing your parents all over again._

Ian shot her a look that he was sorry but she wouldn't meet his eyes.

**Local merchants, arm in arm, wept for one of their own. The neighbors, many who owned their lives to Olivia's healing skills, sobbed openly. Madeleine's friends clutched one another. So did her fellow apprentices, long recovered from the sleeping potion.**

_**I am so, so sorry, Mother**_**, she thought. But the unspoken words seemed hollow and pathetic.**

**She recalled Olivia's final two requests: **_**Stay alive. Do not look back. **_**Already Madeleine had broken the second one. Perhaps if she hadn't looked back, she wouldn't have seen the explosion. And all of this would not have hurt so much.**

Amy shook her head. It will always hurt. She looked at Gabby. She nodded, understanding her pain.

Amy nodded back and took a glance at Jade. She was white as a ghost. Mike wrapped his arms around his cousin and Jade sobbed openly.

Amy didn't know what was going on with her, but it had something to do with death. Now was not the time to ask about it.

_**Is this my fate? **_**She thought. **_**To be a promise-breaker? A secret-revealer? A betrayer of the people I love most? A bringer of death?**_

Amy and Dan shifted uncomfortably. They felt like that during the Clue Hunt when they found out they're Madrigals. Saladin rubbed his face on his masters' hands, as if to say _You're not all bad._

Dan managed to smile at the mau. "Thanks, man. You always know how to make me feel better."

**Madeleine could not stand the hiding. The fakery and failure. The idea that she had trained all her life for . . . **_**what**_**? What did any of it mean, now that her mother was dead?**

"More. It would make you want revenge," Gabby suggested. Mike glared at her.

"Gabby," Mike said in a threatening tone.

"Yeah, I know. It's bad to seek revenge," she answered, though she muttered something like _even for a good cause._

**She rose on unsteady legs. She would run down the hill, fling herself on the grave. She would beg God to return her mother and take her instead.**

**But her body went cold at the sight of a man on the edge of the gathering.**

**His eyes were not focused on the service but instead scanned the countryside. He wore vestments of deep velvet and stood before a richly appointed carriage with magnificent horses. His face was lined and sagged with age, but he supported a mane of jet-black hair, save of a serpentine silver streak down the right side. And his expression made it clear he cared nothing of the deceased.**

_**Vesper.**_

Amy saw Gabby fist clench. It didn't take long to figure out that her mother was murdered by the same people that they're trying to stop.

**Madeleine remembered something her mother had said: **_**You will know Damien Vesper on sight, for he sucks the light from the sun.**_

Everyone laughed at the description.

"Same as Casper," Dan said in between laughs. "And Isabel Kabra."

The Kabra children stiffened at the mention of their murderous mother. Everyone stopped laughing.

"Um, sorry. No need to offened or—"

"It's fine, Daniel," Ian remarked harshly. "We know who our mother is."

Natalie nodded slowly. Mike elbowed Jade and she took her cue to continue.

**She turned away, sick to the stomach. He had caused the deaths of both her parents. And she felt a crushing truth: The fate of the Cahills, the fate of the**_**world,**_**was solely between Vesper and . . .**

_**Maddy Babbitt, scared as a rabbit.**_

"Not to mention the rest of the Cahill family," Ian stated.

**Preposterous. Unthinkable.**

_**Remember your training, **_**she told herself. **_**The memorization, combat techniques, alchemy, survival exercises. The Endgame. **_**Try as she might, Madeleine could not think of herself as a warrior. She was who she was—a sheltered Irish country lass. She stood no chance alone against the forces of Lord Vesper.**

**It was over—the battle of the 39 Clues and all it stood for. Father's work had been destroyed. Even if Madeleine found her siblings, none knew the full secret of the formula. As for the ring—well, if Mother couldn't decode its message after two decades, Vesper would never do it, either.**

"I doubt that everyone can't decode the symbols," Mike said, looking at Amy. "Someone, at least, must know what they mean."

"I just wonder where the ring is now," Reagan said. The Cahill siblings gave no hint that they had it, but some knew.

**Running away was a fool's game. With his minions, Vesper would hunt her down like a wounded hare. Better to get it over quickly.**

**She stepped forward into the light.**

"She is giving up?" the Holts yelled.

"She obviously won't or we would be in chaos right now," Amy replied.

Mike, Jade, Gabby, and Will looked up concurrently, although no one noticed.

**Below her now, a bagpiper began playing the Cahill song, "Bhaile Anois." Madeleine's heart felt freshly bruised, as if Mother were rising before her. She could see Olivia's face in the frigid sky, smiling curiously. Madeleine wanted badly to talk to her. Her soul could not feel bleaker than this. She took a step forward, silently asking her mother for advice, forgiveness, and comfort.**

Amy started to tear a little. Dan glared at everyone, the pain in his heart deepened from the experience of losing parents. The Cahill siblings are not in the mood for jeering.

**As if in answer, a hint of a spring breeze whispered over the moor. It seemed to caress her face, to reach into her mind and lift a blanket from her memory. Her mother's words were as plain as if she were inches away. **_**Your father's mission was to heal. Vesper's is to control. He seeks the formula and suspects the secrets of the ring. With the first, he will create a race of superhumans in his service. If he discovers the latter . . . woe betides the world, which then will be his.**_

"That's a depressing thought," Jonah said, looking at Will weirdly.

And Will was just completely oblivious to it.

**She fingered a bulge under her blouse. Overnight, while hiding in the academy, she had filched from storage a leather belt with a flat pouch. Into the pouch she had placed her sleeping potion vial and the contents of Mother's box: Gideon's mysterious ring. Olivia's handwritten notes about the possible whereabouts of Luke, Katherine, Thomas, and Jane. A small knife, a set of fishhooks, and a hollow darts for hunting. A copy of the music to "Bhaile Anois." And a large sum of money.**

"Good. She's prepared to survive," Hamilton said, nodding in approval.

**No. Not the ring. Madeleine had taken it out last night. Just to examine, to try to make sense of the design. It was such a curious, odd-looking thing, with small ridges on the outer rim like cogs. She had placed in on her thumb and not yet taken it off! She turned from the funeral, pulling at the ring.**

**As the sun struggled through a gap in the clouds, the ring glinted. Madeleine quickly dropped it into her pouch. Stepping back behind the brush, she turned and ran.**

**Below her, Damien Vesper flinched at the sudden glare. And he looked up to see a figure disappearing into the heather.**

"Page break," Jade said in a bored pitch.

"Does Vesper know Madeleine exist?" Madison asked.

"Well, let see. It said there in the sign saying 'O. Babbitt & Daughter and Professor Xenophilus would probably say where he got the information of their location. So my answer is yes, he knows."

"Harsh, Sinead," Hamilton said. "Harsh."

"It's your turn, my dear cousin," Jade cooed, passing the book to Mike.

"When can it be my turn to read?" asked Will.

"When it gets to you," Jade said, smiling.

"Ahem," Mike interrupted.

"Just get on with it," Jade chided. Will chuckled. Jonah was _still_ staring at him weirdly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah, another fast update. Thanks to the feedback of IJustCantChoose, I could improve this story for the better. I'll lessen the Amian for a while, mind you. I just hope I won't lose any more viewers because of it. Like I said in the first chapter, **_**The 39 Clues**_** is not about romance. We have to constantly remind people it's not revolved around love. Well, maybe love for family and friendship. That's acceptable.**

**I don't own anything you've seen or heard in real life.**


	14. Madeleine Part 4

**Chapter 14: Madeleine Part 4**

"**"****Nice, slimy baby," Master Winthrop Cahill said softly to the red-spotted newt in his hand,**" Mike read. Then, he chuckled.

"Who is Winthrop? And what is he doing with a newt?" Reagan asked.

"I have a faint idea," Natalie murmured. Ian nodded.

"I don't know who Winthrop is, but I sure that he's going to do a prank on someone with the newt," Dan explained.

"Of course," Amy said under her breath.

**"****Nice little lizard, who gets very, very scared of dark places . . ."**

**Threading his way through the crowded market, he was careful to avoid the throngs of buyers. Already he'd squished a salamander and a tree toad.**

"Ew," Natalie cried, making a face.

"Cool!" Dan shouted at the same time.

**Princess Mary Tudor was just ahead. **

"Mary Tudor," Ian mused.

"I think my brother knows who Winthrop is," Natalie said.

**As she walked, her horrid brown ringlets bounced, whisking the shoulders of her dress like little dancing brooms. Her legs were as spindly as twigs, and her shoulders heaved as she sniffed, which was almost all the time. Winthrop's father, Luke Cahill**

"LUKE?" half of them yelled. The Kabra boy nodded again.

"Don't you remember your Lucian history?" Ian asked Natalie. "We know for a fact that Luke Cahill was working in King Henry VIII's court, during that year. It would be reasonable he would already have a successor, though I'm not sure why the records never mentioned Winthrop's doings as a child?"

"Well then, let's find out before we get bored to death by your fancy vocabulary," Dan said.

**said he was to marry her someday. **

"The poor child," Natalie sympathized. "Parents planning your own marriage is a terrible thing."

"If Isabel were still here," Ian murmured to his sister, "she would've done the same to us."

**Ha! He would rather live as a boil on the backside of a hairy boar. **

Dan placed a serious face on. Amy sighed, for she knew that he was memorizing all of this.

**For one thing, she was only ten, a full year younger. For another, she was a first-class twit. Also, her nose ran faster than her boney legs, and she smelled of elderberries.**

"What are elderberries?" Reagan asked.

"It's found on an elder tree, it's used for making wine, jam, and juices," Sinead supplied.

"And I guess it makes you smell bad," Dan joked.

**Not to mention she was ugly.**

"Burn," Jonah said.

**Mary held tight to the warty hand of their governess, Mistress Kletsh. With the other hand, Mistress Kletsh squeezed the merchants' fruits and vegetables while complaining about high prices. As if the king's governess needed to save money.**

**As Mary glanced over her shoulder, Master Winthrop cheerfully picked his nose and wiped it on a gooseberry. She crossed her eyes, stuck out her tongue, and turned away in disgust.**

Natalie made the same face when Dan did it across the room.

_**Now.**_

**Lunging forward, he pulled back Mary's collar with one hand and dropped in the newt with the other.**

"Ah, even back then, pranksters were born," Dan sighed pensively, a sly grin spreading across his face. "But I never would've guessed it would be a Lucian, no less Luke Cahill's first son."

The Kabras rolled their eyes.

**The creature's little eyes flashed with fright before it disappeared into the layers of fine silk and lace.**

**Princess Mary's shriek was sweet music.**

"Screams, shrieks, and yells of hate are the rewards of an accomplished practical joke," Dan said.

"No wonder you just love to be chased by the neighbors when you were younger," Amy mumbled to herself.

**Winthrop pretended to be examining a particularly intersecting fig. "Is something wrong?" he said innocently. Watching the old lady fumble with the folds of clothing was even funnier that Mary's jerky dance.**

**"**_**Master Winthrop Cahill, you lowborn pig, my father shall have your head!**_**" the princess yelled.**

**But the boy's howls of laughter abruptly ended when the cart of figs and gooseberries came crashing down around him. "Thief! Thief!" a merchant cried out.**

**Princess Mary's screams were drowned out by voices shouting, "Over here!" and "Stop him!" As a gray-clad figure darted among the carts, a burly arm hurled a melon through the air. Apples went flying as people dove out of the way, running after the thief. Winthrop watched in awe. A humiliated Mary, a bandit in the market—could life be any sweeter?**

"Maybe if a ninja comes out, that will complete the circle," Dan explained, making a circle with his fingers in the air. Amy sighed. Jade grinned.

**He felt a reptilian claw closing over his arm. "Come with me, young man," Mistress Kletsch commanded, pulling him back toward the carriage along with Princess Mary, who was now half undressed and weeping. The governess nearly threw them into the carriage, climbing in after them. "Go, Edward!" she cried.**

**The driver whipped the horses and the carriage took off. Crafted by King Henry VIII's master coachmaker, it raced smoothly over the English countryside away from the market. Mary and the governess were both yelling at Master Winthrop now, but all he wanted to do was look outside at the melee.**

"Melee?" Dan questioned.

"A close combat with a group of fighters. He's talking about the reprimanding of Mary and their governess," Amy said.

"That's easy. Just ignore and think of awesome stuff. It works every time with Amy and Nellie," Dan said.

Saladin meowed jubilantly.

**The carriage jounced abruptly. Winthrop's heart leaped with glee. Had they run over a dead body?**

"Okay, that's not the kind of 'awesome stuff' I was talking about."

**Leaving Mary and the governess to their squealings, he looked out the back window. Alas, nothing to be seen but a dusty receding road.**

**Disappointed, he turned back. But not before catching a patch of gray wool just beneath the right corner of the window.**

**Curious, he climbed the seat again and gazed downward. A pair of eyes gazed back up. The market thief was crouched on the carriage's running board, dressed in gray and wearing a woolen cap with a mask that covered all but his eyes. Clinging to a metal hook, he cast Master Winthrop a panicked, pleading look.**

**No. Not he.**_**She.**_**The thin physique, the long-lashed eyes made that clear.**

"I bet 20 dollars it's Madeleine," Hamilton said.

"No bet. It's pretty obvious, since the story revolves around her," Mike said.

**More adventure! There was sure to be a reward for this vagabond, and Edward the driver would revel in the capture.**

**Winthrop smiled at the thief and winked.**_**Don't worry,**_**he mouthed. Then he turned to the front of the carriage.**

**On his way to Edward, he took a great care to step on the princess' foot. "Warty Winthrop!" she cried out.**

**"****Bloody Mary!" he spat back.**

Amy eyes shinned and her mouth twitched. Dan knew this was the first sign of another boring fact from his bookish sister.

"Did you know that Bloody Mary is a known nickname to Mary Tudor because she had over 280 religious dissenters burned at the stake in the Marian Persecutions?"

Dan yawned. His eyes wandered over to Gabby, who was shaking like a cold stray cat.

"Hey, what's the matter with her?" Dan asked, pointing at Gabby.

Mike looked at his side and raised his brows.

"She's coming. She's coming." Gabby kept on muttering over and over. Mike nodded and turned to Dan.

"She has this . . . fear of ghosts from her hometown and um,"—he chose his words carefully—"'BM' was one of them. But she's hardly afraid of the dead."

She kept on shivering. Mike read on to finish his turn.

**The carriage jounced again. Master Winthrop spun around. He looked out the back of the carriage just in time to see the thief running off down the road. And he watched carefully as she stuffed something into the knot of a gnarled oak tree, whose arms looked like those of a wild dancer.**

"Page break," Mike announced. His eyebrows scrunched together as he glanced between Gabby and Dan.

"Jade, should I . . ."

"Hey man, you're the one holding it, you decide who reads next," Jade answered sharply.

"Excuse me but you already know that Gabby here is—"

"I need my glasses," Gabby yelled before he finished his sentence. A look passed between them, and Amy was sure it was some secret information. "I just need my glasses. That's all. I have a hard time reading without them."

She took out a purple cylindrical container from her pocket and opened the top. Poking out was a silver eyeglasses folded neatly into the narrow space. Gabby took it out and wore it with squinting eyes.

Amy didn't know she couldn't read without her glasses. It was lucky for Amy that, even with all that reading, her eyesight is still good and sharp.

Gabby looked down and clutched her amulet. "Are you sure this is safe?" she asked.

Mike patted her shoulder. "It's risky but . . ." His intelligent eyes wandered around the room. "You'll manage."

"Could I use my choker too?" Gabby pointed at the black neck piece hanging from her palm.

Mike hesitated. "Um, I think everyone is safe with just the amulet."

"Safe? What do you mean by safe, pretty boy?" Dan said. His eyes rose with more effect of questioning. Mike was unmoved by this. He actually found it idiotic.

"That's confidential, Daniel. None of your concern," he answered serenely.

Dan sat down with a determined expression on his face. The Starlings exchanged looks. Hamilton kept on staring at the amulet and the chocker hanging from their owner.

For short, everyone was _still_ curious of those objects.

_We are Cahills, after all,_ Amy thought.

Gabby nodded in agreement to Mike's statement, but a shadow of doubt hung over her eyes as she grabbed the book from his lap. She pocketed the chocker and readjusted her eyeglasses.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah, I'm done with the chapie. I'll be changing POVs now.**


	15. Madeleine Part 5

**Chapter 15: Madeleine Part 5**

Jonah was freaking out.

Inside, of course. 'Cause he has a doppelganger beside him.

He wouldn't say 'twin' is the right word for Will because he had a lot of differences with Jonah. Like the hair, clothing (seriously need to go from commando to gangsta), and the voice.

"Um, aren't you going to read?" Will asked to Gabby, who was still staring at the page.

She looked up at the crowd and reddened. "Oh, right. I'm supposed to read it out loud. Sorry, it's a funny selection."

"Understandable," Mike remarked. "But best to read it out loud this time, okay?"

She nodded, her face getting redder.

"**"****Wicked, wicked, **_**wicked**_**, child!" said old Williams, dragging Master Cahill by the arm though the Persian rug-covered corridors of King Henry VIII' Palace of Placentia,**" Gabby read.

Gabby looked nervously around the room. Jonah did the same example, wondering what she was looking for.

Gabby sighed in liberation, a smile formed in her face.

"It works," she beamed at her friends. "The amulet really works."

Will had a confused look on. Jonah was sure that his double was new to this as the rest of the clue hunters.

_What are they hiding?_

**"****Last time it was four **_**wicked**_**s and one **_**wretched**_**," Master Winthrop chirped. "**_**Incorrigible, **_**too. Whatever that means."**

"Incorrigible means beyond any hope of reform," Amy said to her brother.

"The story of Daniel Cahill," Natalie said in a narrative tone.

Before Dan could react to that, Mike said, "You are mistaken. I believe we are talking about my cousin Jade here."

"Pfft. I am very refined," Jade scoffed.

"And living with the Tomas makes you refined?" Mike asked.

"Hey! Don't diss the—"

"Guys," Gabby said. Her hand clutched tightly around the purple amulet. "Do you want me take this off and continue to read?"

The two cousins paled. Jonah was astounded. The girl can changed her personality like lightning. His mind wandered off to the all mysterious amulet. What will happen if she does take that off? Is reading out loud without it important?

Or dangerous?

"But, Gabby . . ."

"Jade . . ."

The blonde girl huff a low "Fine".

"Sorry," Mike said.

**William tut-tutted, yanking the boy around a marble columned corner. "What on earth have you done to make dear, gentle old Mistress Kletsch resign? The fifth governess in three months! How can we except to replace her on such short—**_**where is Hargrove**_**? Hargrove promised he would meet us with another candidate for the king's approval!"**

"Do you think you two could beat Winthrop's record of having many babysitters?" Jade asked Cahill siblings, smirking.

"I don't think," Amy said, glancing at her brother. "I know."

Dan smiled ever so innocently.

**"****Mistress Kletsch smells like the fart of a dying warthog," Winthrop replied. "And that's after she has taken a bath."**

Everyone laughed at that except for Gabby. She kept on readjusting her glasses.

**"****Dastardly boy—foul, odious boy!" William said, looking around frantically for his fellow courtier.**

**"****Odious . . ." Winthrop said. "I like that."**

"Huh?" Hamilton tilted his head to the side.

"It means one that is strongly hated," Amy said.

**Stepping into the opening of the king's chamber, William was suddenly calm and ramrod straight. He held Winthrop tightly to his side, set his face into a neutral expression, and cleared his throat. "Ahem."**

**Standing next to King Henry was a man with massive shoulders, fierce eyes, and long black hair. **

The Kabras straightened their backs, not that they weren't straight before. They wanted to hear how Luke Cahill turned out after he left the family.

Mike merely stretched his arms in a genteel fashion, though equally eager as the two sitting on the red couch.

**As he paced before a line of prisoners, his cape billowed around his gray robe. He was staring at the first man in line, a broad, curly—haired fellow with few teeth and soiled hands.**

**Winthrop loved watching his father at work.**

**"****You say you did not steal the sheep from your lord, then?" said Luke Cahill, his voice a deep, rasping snarl. "You say you are a vegetable farmer?"**

**The man quivered as he replied. "Yes, milord. Them foxes is bedevilin' the countryside a-nights, and they eats the sheeps, they does."**

**"****Ah, true, true," Luke said, pacing a circle around the man. "No doubt you were home at the time of the thefts, tending to your lessons in proper speaking and good grammar."**

**Master Winthrop let out a guffaw that was stifled by Williams' gnarled, powder-scented hand.**

**Spinning around, Luke swiftly took the prisoner's hand and rubbed it on his own face. "If these are the hands of a vegetable farmer," he said, holding the man's hand toward the king, "then what explains the scent of grease that is now on my face—sheep-wool grease?"**

**The farmer's jaw flapped, his eyes desperate. "But—but I—"**

**"****Ha! Brilliant, Cahill!" the king bellowed, applauding lustily. **

"I have to admit but he is very observing," Amy commented.

"Did you just give me a compliment, love?" Ian asked. She rolled her eyes.

"Not talking about you, Ian. I'm talking about Luke Cahill."

"Ah, but you just complimented me indirectly since I am his descendant."

Mike had to smile at the scene. "Alright, let's not bicker like old married couples now. We have a story to listen."

**"Good, then, behead the lout."**

**The man fell to his knees in tears. "Milord? I has me a fambly, five little boys and a wife what's with a child. Hunger is to blame, not deviltry! I beg you, spare me!"**

**"****Five boys?" King Henry's smile fell and his eyes began to moisten. Master Winthrop had seen this reaction before. The king wanted a son more than anything. Thus far, his only offspring was Mary. According to the so-called Rules of Succession, a daughter was not guaranteed to inherit the throne. But the son of a king automatically became king. Henry had grown so frustrated, he had begun blaming his wife, Catherine, the daughter of the Spanish king and queen. Henry claimed she was cursed. He was trying to convince the pope to annul the marriage.** **Now he had his eye on a woman named Anne Boleyn—perhaps if they married, **_**she **_**would give him a son! "Not one boy, but five . . ." the king said softly to the farmer. "You are a lucky man. And we are not without mercy. I sentence you to . . . oh, three days in the stockade!" **

"What's a stockade?" Dan asked.

"It's another word for prison cell or a place where they lock your hands and head with wooden boards and throw tomatoes at you. In my opinion, I'll go with the tomatoes," Jade answered.

Mike shook his head. "That's the stocks, dear cousin."

**The man's face broke into a grateful smile. He shouted thanks as guard whisked him away. "I daresay I have a soft heart, Cahill." The king murmured. "I wish these men feared me as much as they so my adviser!"**

**"****What some call weakness others recognize as wisdom, my lord," Luke said, bowing to the king. "And now, a moment's pardon while I tend my son."**

**"****Yes, yes, of course." The king waved him away, plucking grapes from a gilded plate.**

**As Luke looped toward the door, William began to shake with fear.**

"19 years later and his reputation greatly exceed him," Mike remarked.

**"****Lord Cahill," he said, holding out a parchment scroll, "we have received a formal resignation from yet another—"**

**Luke batted the parchment away. "Are you so poorly suited, William, to the task of finding one good governess from among the entire populations of England?"**

**William bowed, blathering apologies. But Luke pulled his son into the corridor. "What now?" he scolded. "You are expected to shine before the king!"**

**"****So I can marry his wretched daughter?" Master Winthrop mumbled.**

**"****Who will give birth some day to an heir," Luke said, "who will then be king. A **_**Cahill **_**king! Don't you see? The daughter will not necessarily earn the throne. But whomever she **_**marries **_**shall become king!"**

"Power hungry. Typical," Dan said. The Lucian didn't take this as an offense.

**"****Does that seem fair, Father?" Winthrop asked.**

**"****Fair?" Luke drew his son closer, his face growing red. "Is it fair to watch one's father burned to death and be blamed for his murder? **

"No," everyone muttered, except for the hosts and the Lucians.

**Is it fair when sickness takes one's beloved? Is it fair to wander the countryside destitute, with a baby boy? **

Jonah thought he had it rough that his mom left him and his dad in the dust. But the Winthrop's mom dying before she had a chance to see her son grow? That's deeply depressing.

**I worked my way into this court by grit and cunning. I had to step over other who wanted it less. Fairness was not part of the calculation. My only desire is to redeem our family. House of Lancaster, House of York, House of Tudor—**_**pah**_**! It will be the dawn of the Lucian Age."**

The other branches looked uncomfortable. Hearing from Luke's words, it made them feel a little guilty. Although redeeming the Cahill family through power doesn't make much of a difference.

**Master Winthrop frowned. He had heard this story too many times. What was so great about being king anyway? Better to be a bandit or a jousting knight! **

"Agreed," Dan and Hamilton said in chorus.

**"But, Father, the king wants to divorce Queen Catherine," Master Winthrop pressed on. "Then Mary will no longer be princess. And then I will have to be married to that hideous—"**

**"****Mary will remain princess," his father snapped. "And you will be closet in line for the throne. I shall make that certain."**

**"****But there are others in line to succeed—"**

**"****Not to worry, Luke; I have plans for the others."**

**Master Winthrop shuddered. His father's tone of voice suggested something far worse than pranks with salamanders.**

**He tried not to think of the word **_**assassination**_**.**

"He is actually okay with the idea of his father assassinating people?" Gabby exclaimed, her reading stopped to a halt.

Natalie nodded. "We're trained to use means outside of mere contracts to get power."

"Still, he's just a kid," Gabby objected.

**"****My lord?" a voice piped up from behind them.**

**The two Cahills turned. Hargrove, the king's manservant, was standing in the corridor with a young woman in a peasant dress and governess bonnet, her face cast toward the floor. "I would like to introduce a candidate for the office of governess, a fine young woman of exceeding—"**

**"****Yes, yes," Luke said impatiently, "surely she can speak for herself. Is the floor about to collapse, girl, is that why you look down? Do you have a name?"**

**Master Winthrop was used to people's reactions upon meeting his father. Some cried. Others shrank away. Two or three had even fainted, such was his power. But he had never seen an expression like this young woman's. Her eyes fixed on Luke's intently, as if she was trying to look through them to the other side of his head. Then they softened, misted over, as if she were about to cry—but not with fear, exactly. With some other kind of emotion Winthrop couldn't name. If it didn't seem so absurd, he'd think it was something of joy.**

**"****I am M-M-Madeleine Babbitt," she said, "of Scáth."**

"Madeleine's trying to unite the Cahills that fast?" Ian asked. "Tsk-tsk. Lack of planning."

"What do you mean?" Ned asked, half-listening and half-wincing from a short migraine.

"It will probably explain in the latter text," Ian answered.

**"****A daughter of Ireland, then," Luke grunted, his own brogue sneaking into his speech. "Well, let's hope this one lasts longer a week."**

**As he walked back into the chamber, Master Winthrop stared coldly at the new governess. He didn't like her. She was too young and too strange. She had not warts or whiskers. And she didn't smell bad. What was the fun of that?**

**I'm sure we will become close friends," said the Irish lass.**

**Master Winthrop crossed his eyes, said "close friends" with a lisp, and stalked away.**

**But he couldn't help noticing that her face seemed very familiar.**

"And a page break," Gabby stated loudly. She gently closed the book and gave a warm smile to no one in particular.

Then, her stomach growled.

"Wow, that time of the day already," Jade said, climbing down from her stool. She whipped out a notepad and pencil from her jacket pocket. "It's time to grab some grub. Who wants to order?"

Everybody spoke at once. It became very irritating so Jade brought out the Remote. Immediately, they all went silent. Of course, no one wanted to suffer under her wrath ever again while she wields that device.

"Good, everyone understands. I'll go around the room to get everyone's order _individually._ Okay, Dan Cahill, what would you like to eat for a snack?"

He needed not one second to think over. "All those chips from Australia or maybe the sahlab from Egypt or . . ."

Jade nodded, scribbling on the paper. "Next, Amy?"

"Just two sandwiches and orange juice please. I didn't finish my breakfast," she said, her hand over her abdomen.

"One brunch for the Amester," she muttered, writing it down. Saladin scratched her jeans.

"And I know what Saladin likes," Jade said, without looking at the feline.

"The Gangsta Wizard, what will your special be for this short break?"

Jonah tapped his finger on his chin. "Maybe I'll just go with regular fast food. Not really picky at the moment."

She nodded and scribbled. When she turned to Will, he shot her a questioning look.

"Why are you writing this all down? Don't you always brag that you have a pho—" Will tried to say.

"One tofu burger for you then," Jade said quickly, moving to the Tomas sofa.

"I don't even like tofu," he called out to her.

"Well, too bad," she called back. She turned to the Holts. "What will it be?"

"BURGER! BURGER! BURGER!"

"Okay, the Starling Triplets?"

Sinead waved her off. "We're fine. I got food from the room you gave me and me and my brothers have all we need. Food, medicine, some gadgets . . ."

"Okay, then. Lastly the snakes, Ian and Natalie," Jade said, waving her pencil around like a conductor.

"Tea cakes will do. And water. Need to keep on a fit diet," Natalie said, her brother nodded absentmindedly. Jade rolled her eyes.

"We got all the orders, Gabby," Jade said, walking back to the high metal stools. "Let's go."

"Wait, I'll go with her," Mike said, fixing his red tie and buttoning his jacket. Jade gave him a devious grin.

"Are you going to make your move now, Mikey? I thought you wanted to wait." She made kissy faces at her cousin.

He growled. "It's bad enough you call me Mike than my real name. Don't add another silly nickname for me. And the reason I'm going with her instead of you because you're not responsible enough to take care of her. She was barely conscious the first time you two went to get snacks."

"Man." Will interrupted. "You cut it deep man. She's trying her best with whatever y'all doing with the girl."

"I'm going with her," Mike demanded, snatching the notepad. "And that's that."

Jade folded her arms and looked miffed. "Alright, go. But we're going to continue the story without you two love birds."

Mike nodded sternly. "Come on, Gabby. Leave the book with Daniel."

"Dan," the Cahill boy said loudly.

"It's his turn now," he continued. Gabby jumped off and gave the book to Dan. Then she went to a corner and formed another portal with everybody's shadows.

Mike walked briskly inside the portal, grabbing Gabby's hand along the way. They disappeared with one blink of Jonah's eye.

"Okay, guys," Jade said, taking a seat on the middle stool. "Let's continue."

Dan opened the book and began.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Booyah! I did another chapter.**


	16. Madeleine Part 6

**Chapter 16: Madeleine Part 6**

"**Madeleine Cahill shivered. She had lived through nineteen frigid winters by the lake, but nothing prepared her for iciness of her brother Luke,**" Dan read.

"They do have this creepy factor on them," Hamilton remarked. He made spooky ghost noises at his sisters and they all laughed, excluding the Kabras.

**She paved her spare, dank bedchamber—seven steps from one end to the other. The height of English power, and all they could give her were four stone wall, a dusty wood floor, and a bed with a sunken horsehair mattress!**

"Someone seriously needs to get that room a makeover," Natalie stated sincerely.

Dan snorted. "Good luck doing that, Kabra."

**Her eyes kept darting towards the window. Every flash of white gave her a start.**

**Vesper had been in the food market. She'd seen his badger-head of hair. If she hadn't caused the distraction by upsetting the fruit cart, he might have caught her.**

"So _that's_ what happened," Jonah muttered. "He's already on the right track to hunt for Cahills."

**How long could she keep this up? How long could she survive along? She would have to confront Luke, get him to join her. Somehow.**

**She had come too far to fail. On the days following the funeral she'd become ill in the forest. Overcome by cold, rain, grief, and self-doubt, she had nearly died. But as she read her mother's notes by a peat fire, one like had struck her:**

Dan showed the writing to the others, though it was very tiny to read so he read it out loud.

"_Luke: stable hand, H VIII,_" said Dan.

**H VIII meant King Henry the Eighth. The Palace of Placentia was just outside of London. A huge journey—across the Irish Sea, all of Wale, and most of England! But Luke seemed her best hope. He was twenty-three years older than Madeleine. He would be the wisest sibling.**

"I don't know wise would be the right term for Luke," Dan said, snickering. The Kabras ignored him.

**So she'd mastered disguises, stowed away on a trade ship, slept in caves and trees—somehow managing to leave each location just as Vesper arrived to try to flush her out. By the time she reached London, she'd nearly starved. Seeing the ****ROYAL GOVERNESS WANTED ****notice had been a stroke of luck.**

Dan showed them the sign.

"_Royal Governess Wanted_

_For Service in His Majesty's Household_

_Apply to Mr. Hargrove, Palace of Placentia,_" Dan said orally. He scratched his head and showed the page to Amy.

"I can't read this," Dan said, pointing at the scribbles.

Amy pushed the book away. "You don't have to. It's probably Hargrove's signature."

**And now . . . what? How much better was her brother than her enemy?**

"In contrast to Damien, it's a lot better. Though compared to the other Cahills, not so much," Amy said.

**Olivia had once described Luke as "larger than life" and "forceful." But this man was also bloodless, cruel, and deeply sad. His eyes seemed to be following Madeleine still, hovering, judging, condemning. They were nearly the same eyes her mother's, piercing and smart— but with all the kindness drained out. Like a familiar painting with one color removed.**

The Janus nodded.

**Madeleine thought about Promise Three: **_**Unite the Cahills when the time is right. **_**Was the time right? Was Luke ready to give up his place in the court to help unite the family?**

**Outside her window, she could see knights practicing for a joust. On a vast field they raced their horses at top speed, thwacking targets made of pigskin stuffed with straw. One of the knights, who rode a majestic dun-color horse, had far more power and agility than the others. She watched as he came to rest and took off his helmet.**

**She was not completely surprise to see it was the king himself, Henry VIII. He was known as a champion jouster. But even he, the most powerful man in Great Britain, feared her brother Luke.**

The Lucians smirked maliciously.

**In moments, young Master Winthrop would be arriving for his first lesson, and she needed to prepare. William had suggested tin flute, "a taming influence for the little beast."**

**Madeleine looked forward to that. Olivia had taught her to play. **_**You've a jot of Jane in you**_**, Mother would say after a particularly fine lesson. Madeleine cherished that comment. There were other compliments too—**_**a cut of Katherine, a touch of Thomas, a lick of Luke**_**—for her technical skills, athletic victories, strategic thinking. She was a bit like them all, Olivia had said, but with an extra quality all her own. **_**Do not let the meekness swallow you, Madeleine, for someday people will see you for who you are. You are strong yet with the soul of a peacemaker. You bring people together. Call it a magnificence of Madeleine.**_

"I've got the magnificence of Madeleine, a cut of Katherine, and a touch of Thomas," Dan said proudly.

"I've got the touch of Thomas and a cut of Katherine," Hamilton yelled across the room. The Starlings stared at him in bewilderment.

"Sit down you two," Amy commanded. They followed the girl in a crestfallen manner.

**She hadn't been feeling very magnificent lately. But with a roof over her head and food in her belly, she could think clearly now. And plan. She would win over Winthrop first. Work her way into Luke's trust. And when she felt comfortable, she would reveal her identity. That would be the "right time" to begin fulfilling Olivia's dream.**

"Oh," Ned said, glancing at Ian. "That is lack of planning."

**A united Cahill family.**

**Madeleine picked up the tin flute and played a bit. The instrument was rusted and sounded like a dying weasel. **

A few chuckled.

**She suspected there was a hole and found one at the bottom of the instrument. She looked around for something to plug it. Horsehair? Too flimsy. A ripped piece of fabric? Too bulky.**

**She checked the hallway—empty. Reaching under her blouse she unhooked the pouch and peered inside. Hooks and darts? The wrong shape.**

**Then she held up the ring.**

**The flute tapered to a tip narrow enough to slip the ring over. Carefully, she slid it up the instrument. It fit snugly over the hole, as if it were meant to be there.**

"And another flaw to her plan," Natalie stated. "Like Amy said, our ancestor is very observant. He would know that's his father's ring."

The Cahill kids knew she was right. They began to worry what might happen to Madeleine.

**Madeleine played a C major scale, which floated through the room, clear and sweet. She smiled. If only she could afford to exposed the ring like this! Naturally, that was impossible. It would be violating Olivia's promise.**

_**Or would it?**_

**Professor Xenophilus liked to say that the best hiding places were in plain sight.**

"That's true," Sinead said, "but it must really blend in with the place you wish to hide it."

**Only Mother and Father knew about the ring. Vesper was chasing her for the serum formula and knew nothing of the ring. If Madeleine were to be captured, it would make sense for the ring **_**not **_**to be on her anyway . . .**

"I think Vesper does suspect the ring, since he's been hunting Olivia for awhile," Will said.

**A loud burp at the door made her jump. She turned to face her scowling charge, who stared at her with folded arms.**

_**If you let him control you**_**, William had warned, **_**you will lose both this job and your sanity.**_

"The poor au pairs didn't know what hit them," Jade said.

"Don't you mean the governesses?" Natalie asked.

"I was talking about Dan here," Jade replied.

**"****You are seven minutes late," Madeleine said. "I trust that will not happen again—"**

**"****I know who you are," the boy interrupted.**

"See, observant," Natalie said, again.

Dan rolled his eyes. The Holts snickered.

**Madeleine's heart began to pound. Had she been followed? Had Luke recognized her? "Kn-kn-know me?" she said.**

**"****You're the thief!" Master Winthrop blurted out triumphantly." From the market! I saw you on the back of the royal carriage, with a mask!"**

**Relief washed over Madeleine. Dealing with a mischievous child was one task she was sure she could handle. "Well. I guess you're flushed me out . . ."**

**"****Like a pheasant!" Winthrop crowed. Hands on hips, head cocked, he began circling Madeleine. "But we are not without mercy. I will spare you, but I have some demands." He began counting off demands on his stubby fingers. "Five minutes of memorization per week. Latin only on Tuesdays. No mathematics ever. Three hours of lunch. Vegetables forbidden. I eat and drink what I want. And no wooden paddle."**

"**You are a clever negotiator," Madeleine said.**

"Naturally. He's Lucian," Natalie bragged.

"He's snobby, like you," Dan countered.

**"****I am the son of Luke Cahill." Master Winthrop preened as he sat on the edge of the bed. "And I have decided that I shall not learn today."**

**"****Oh?" Madeleine nodded. "Well, the, fine."**

"What?" the Cahills cried.

"She's letting him do whatever he wants?" Natalie yelled.

"Awesome!" Dan, Jonah, Hamilton, and Jade shouted.

"Your homie is not that bad," Joanh admitted to Dan.

"Of course not. She's a Madrigal."

**"****Because I have too much gas, and the flute will make me . . ." Winthrop's voice trailed off. "Did you say . . . 'fine'?"**

**"****This hour belongs to you. If you chose not to learn, then I well play and you can listen."**

"Ah, freedom," Dan said longingly.

"More immaturity, less discipline," Ian said firmly. His hard frown softened. He and Natalie had no freedom to turn down his parents orders.

Follow or be cut off. That's how they used to live.

**She lifted the tin flute to her mouth. He looked away, already bored. Eyeing the ring, Madeleine realized it resembled no more than a grooved collar. With its clogged design, it could have been found on the floor of the smithy's shop. No one would take it for a valuable secret. And it certainly made the flute sound magnificent.**

**As she played a county air, Master Winthrop's expression began to soften. His body swayed when she followed with a sad ballad. Before long, he and Madeleine were dancing to an Irish reel, both of them collapsing with laughter on the bed.**

"I can't really picture that," Natalie said.

"Well, that's because you're no fun," Dan replied.

**"****Well," Madeleine said finally. "Shall we move on to a history lesson?"**

**"****No!" Winthrop snapped, grabbing the tin flute. "Teach me!"**

**She raised an eyebrow.**

**He smiled meekly. "Please?"**

"Page break," Dan said.

And like on cue, Mike and Gabby (fully conscious) came back with a cart full of silver platters.

"Food for everyone," Gabby cried out, a wide idiotic grin on her face. She happily distributed the food in respective order clockwise. When she was done, she sat down beside Jade and laughed cheerfully.

It was a strange sight for everyone.

"Yo, Mike, what happened to—"

"Don't ask now." He cut her off. He took a seat on the vacant stool and sighed, a small smile hidden behind the shadows.

Jonah and Will changed looks.

"I detect a bowl of romance," Will whispered.

"With a pinch of guilt and danger," Jonah continued, smiling.

"And a splash of secrecy," they said together. They laughed out loud, with everyone staring in confusion.

Jonah didn't know it at first, but he and Will _did_ have a connection.

"What's wrong with them, brother?" Natalie muttered.

"I don't how a Janus mind works," he simply said, taking a bite from his snack.

After they all ate, Dan decided to continue reading, much to Amy's disappointment.

**Who would have thought Master Winthrop had a jot of Jane?**

"We're not all stereotypical," Ted said. Everyone, even Natalie, agreed to that.

**To Madeleine's surprise, he was a wonderful musician, a natural. Which played right into her plan. She would stage a recital. Luke could not help but be impressed with her skills as a governess!**

**One week later she stood before the king, Luke, and assorted courtiers.**

**"****M-may I have your attention, lords and l-lassie." Madeleine shook as she looked around the music chamber. She eyed the tin flute. Gideon's ring still covered the hole. In a fit of nervousness, she had tried to remove it, but Master Winthrop had screamed at her. He'd claimed the flute sounded "odious" without it. And young Winthrop did not take no for an answer. "We h-h-have a very s-s-special musical p-p-performer—" she continued.**

**Master Winthrop yawned loudly, twirling the tin flute. Madeleine prayed the ring stayed on. She vowed to remain calm about it. After the recital, the king would surely allow the court to buy a new tin flute. And she would pocket the ring again. "M-may I p-present the very talented Master Winthrop Cahill!" she declared.**

**The king clapped his beefy hands.**

**As Winthrop began playing, Henry VIII smiled sleepily. Luke stared at his son intensity.**

"I wonder what he's feeling about his son performing. He might recall his sister Jane's talent," Ian thought out loud.

_**What is he feeling? **_**Madeleine couldn't tell. **

"Ooh," Dan spoke in a low tone. "The past is sending mental messages to their future kids."

Amy did nothing but turn her eyes with an annoyed expression.

"More like vice versa," Jade murmured to Gabby. Unfortunately, Ted heard her. Since the incident with the museum, his hearing was better than when he used to see. That sometimes served as an advantage when the Starlings spy on someone.

**Luke looked everything the same way. Like a viper eyeing its prey.**

**As the recital ended, the king shouted, "Bravo, boy! Excellent!" Master Winthrop took a bow, and another, and another.**

**By then, even Luke was smiling. **

"Le Gasp!"

"Jade," Mike started, the tips of his fingers on his forehead, "don't go Hetalia. Again."

"England is mean," Jade whined.

"Well, America shouldn't have independence."

**The expression softened his face, made him look more Cahillian than ever. But as the court all gathered to praised the boy, no one said a word to Madeleine. Not even a curt "thank you." Not even Luke.**

"Of course, rich people shouldn't mingle with commoners," Dan said in a high-pitched mocking tone.

Natalie sniffed. "I couldn't agree more."

**She bowed, exited the room, and sat on a banquette in the corridor, waiting for Master Winthrop to emerge. This was not what she had planned.**

**She was a nobody here. To break through to her brother, she needed to be a **_**presence**_**. She closed her eyes, trying to picture Olivia's face. **_**Guide me**_**, she thought.**

**A moment later, a gangly, sooty-face young man come skittering down the hall. He leaned toward Madeleine, panting. His breath smelled of goose liver. "Bobbitt?" he said, sending a rotten blasted that nearly made her gag.**

Natalie pinched her nose, like the very stench was in the room.

**"****Please keep a gentlemanly distance," Madeleine said. "And it's Babbitt.**

**"****Oh. Right." He lurched forward, taking her by the arm.**

**"****I beg your pardon!" Madeleine cried. "Unhand me or I will call for Luke Cahill."**

**The man grinned and tightened his grip. "The Lord Luke's what sent me! Im under personal orders to escort Madeleine Babbitt meself!"**

**"****Escort?" Madeleine said. "Where?"**

**"****Where do you fink, mum? The royal countling-'ouse?" the man laughed hysterically. "Come along—you are under arrest!"**

"Oh oh," Dan concluded. "And page break. Your turn, sis."

Amy grabbed the book and started to read.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Huzzah! Another chapter done! And Ted suspects something . . . BIG! I give my apologizies for not updating any sooner!**


	17. Madeleine Part 7

**Chapter 17: Madeleine Part 7**

"**Madeleine hadn't expected King Henry's prison to be so like her maid's quarters,**" Amy read.

"Oh, dear God," Natalie exclaimed.

**The big difference was the metal bars, the unearthly stench, and the granite bench that numbed her rear end.**

_Horrible,_ thought Natalie, her eyes closed and her head shaking. _Downright filthy. _

_**Why?**_

"That's what I'd like to know. A Cahill, in a crummy little cell," Natalie cried sincerely.

The other Cahills stared at her, speechless. Except for Amy, for it was her turn to read.

**No one had given her an explanation for being here. She could barely understand the guard's accent. Was it something Master Winthrop had told them, some dreadful lie?**

"Ring," Mike said, like that was the only explanation.

**It took her hours to fall asleep against the cold stone. She dreamed longingly about the horsehair bed.**

"Why dream about that dreadful thing?" Natalie griped.

"If you were given a choice to sleep on a floor or sleep on a bed made out of horse hair, which would pick?" Sinead asked Natalie.

Natalie opened her mouth, then closed it. She made no more comments about the chambers ever again.

**The voice of Luke Cahill jarred her awake. "Well, who knew my little boy had such a gift for music?" he rasped in the darkness. "My compliments on the tutoring."**

**Madeleine sat up with a start. She shivered as his silhouette drew closer, lit from behind by the guard's lantern. Dressed in a full-length fur coat, he resembled some kind of ghoulish beast, half man and half bear.**

"Half-snake, you mean," Hamilton said.

Amy shivered at the image. The Kabras frowned.

**The day's events rushed over her- the bruises, the unfairness. "This s-s-seems an unlikely form of gratitude."**

**Luke sat down next to her, his feature inches away yet mere shadowy blots in the darkness. "Well, then, you will no doubt have a satisfactory answer to this question: Where did you get the ring?"**

**She felt blood draining from her face. "You-you know about it?"**

**"****My father wore it every day. I would tease him about it. Such a crude thing. It was one of a kind, he said. That was all." Luke leaned closer. "He died in a fire. Everything he had—his clothing, his jewelry, his life's work—destroyed. And yet, his ring appears **_**on a tin flute**_**."**

"He was right!" Dan pointed at Mike.

"Of course I'm right. I read ahead," Mike said.

Jade glared. "And you have to be so cocky about it."

**As Maddy Babbitt shrank in fear, Madeleine Cahill sized up her brother. She had to remain calm. To follow through in her plan despite the setback. "May I see the ring?" she asked.**

Jade face-palmed.

**"**_**Do you think I would be so idiotic as to have it with me**_**?" Luke snapped. "Perhaps you can begin by telling me who you are, and why you had it!"**

**Madeleine's heart sank. He had probably put it in a safe place, or given it to one of his trusted courtiers. They all lived in fear of him and would do whatever he asked. He was too cagey to carry it around.**

**Which meant that Promise Number One—**_**Keep the ring safe**_**—had been broken.**

**Her only hope was to force Promise Number Three.**

"Hmm," Ned brood over. He pointed at Amy and Dan. "Aren't you the ones who completed promise number three?"

"Don't forget number two," Dan said proudly, waging a finger. Saladin meowed in the same tone.

_And number 1, Dan_. But Amy kept silent.

Mike snorted. "Number two is still not completed."

All the hunters looked over him and were surprised to see him wearing glasses. ("Hey, those are mine," Gabby complained.)

He pushed the frame to the bridge of his nose and glared flashed on the clear glasses, momentarily hiding his eyes.

"There's still the Vespers to worry about," he said in a grave tone.

A sudden animated sweat drop appeared on the top of Jade's head. "Maybe I shouldn't have influenced him to watch anime, especially the old ones." Gabby nodded somberly.

The hunters just turned away and ignored the scene, but they kept in mind about the Vespers.

**She could no longer wait to win his trust. She had to reveal her identity. The reuniting the Cahills must begin. Now.**

**"****B-b-before you fled," she said carefully, "your mother had neglected to mention something about her c-c-condition."**

**Even in dim light, Madeleine could see the knife-sharpness of his glare. "I will listen to you for precisely one minute. I advise you—no nonsense."**

**"****Luke . . ." Madeleine took a deep breath. "My name isn't Babbitt. Mother was with a child on the last day you saw her. I was that baby."**

**Luke did not move for a good twenty seconds. She tried to read the expression on his face but couldn't. Then, slowly, he reached out and cupped her chin gently in his hand, moving her face right and left.**

**"****Swounds . . ." he said.**

"Swounds?" Hamilton said. Nobody even bothered to answer. They wanted to hear how Luke reacted.

**"Good grief, yes . . . the resemblance . . ."**

**This close, she could see the icy veil over his eyes disappear, as if Olivia herself were peering through. In a flash, Madeleine sensed the her long trip—through fear and sickness, disguises and lies—hadn't been a waste after all.**

"She accepting this too easily," Ian warned.

**She wanted to throw her arms around him. But it was too early for that. The bond was new and fragile. One step at a time. As tears streamed down her cheeks, she felt herself laughing, overcome with joy and relief. "I-I have so much to tell you, my brother."**

**"****I know you do." Luke took her hand and stood.**

Ian raised his brow, a thought flashed in his mind. _Did Luke actually believe her?_

_**Where to begin? **_**She would save the sad news of Mother's death till the end. There were nearly two decades of catching up. "Mother and I . . . we were living in exile. Under invented names. Babbitt—can you imagine? Not even a name with a bit of . . . **_**flash**_**, such as, I don't know, Ravenwood. Or Lancelot! I had to become quiet, to deflect attention. Like a scared little mouse! Anyway, Mother secretly trained me all my life for this final mission—"**

"She's rushing it," Natalie said. "She's too gullible."

"We know," Dan mimicked, annoyed at the Lucian. "And we're NOT gullible."

**"****Shhh, my dear," Luke said. "Please. Don't rush. It is an emotional moment, I can see. I will give you time to put together your feelings and your story. But if it comforts you any, please know that I have heard it all already."**

"He did?" Amy and Dan shouted.

"Mrrp?" Saladin exclaimed in cat language.

**Madeleine wiped a tear. "You **_**have**_**?"**

**"****Oh, yes, many times." Luke chuckled. "The details are different, but the broad story is the same."**

**"****I-I'm afraid I don't understand . . ." Madeleine stammered.**

**Luke stood at the door, signaling the guard to open it. "I daresay you're far more talented than the last one claimed to be a sibling. My long-lost brother Nigel—lived in hiding under a false identity and so forth. And before him was sister Gladys, aunt Puff, and cousin Quincy—"**

"Who would name their kid Puff?" Jade snickered.

"Maybe Natalie, if she ever gets a kid," Dan laughed.

"If she ever gets a boyfriend," Jade chortled.

Natalie grumbled. "I wouldn't even dream of naming a child of mine Puff. It sounds . . ."

"Stupid," Dan suggested.

"Could we continue?" Mike asked, returning the glasses back to Gabby. Natalie stuck her tongue out to the blonde children and rested her back on the futon.

**"****But—there is no Nigel Cahill, or any of the others!"**

**"****Or **_**Maddy Cahill!**_**" **

"Ouch," Dan frowned. "This would be ugly."

**Luke voice was more of a slap than a sound. "Why did you display the ring? What on earth is your plan?"**

**"****I did it to p-p-plug a hole!"**

**Luke turned in disgust. "No matter. If you have other agents in this palace,**

"He's got it all wrong," Amy mumbled. "She's not working for _him._"

"Who?" Dan questioned.

**they will be routed. If you have thought to flush me out by the sight of this ring- if you are planning an ambush- your people will find nothing of me. Before long, your employer will know that after all these years, his plan has failed. And revenge will follow."**

**"****Employer?" Madeleine shrank back into the cell. She wasn't understanding a word of his rant.**

**"****Do not take me for a fool. Only one person could have had possession of the ring. He one who watched my father die. The one whose blindness and greed have just ensured his own defeat." Luke turned to the guard. "Simon, prepare the prisoner for pubic execution in two days. Send an invitation far and wide, and be on the lookout for a man named Vesper."**

"Suspicions confirmed," Amy, again, mumbled.

**"****Vesper?" Madeleine said. "How can you possibly think—?"**

**"****I shall send for the hangman right away!" Simon replied.**

**"****Not a hanging," Luke replied with a slow smiled. "I would prefer a slow burning at the stake, and a front-row seat.**

"Page break," Amy said. "Shall I continue?"

"Sure," Jonah shrugged. "But could someone bring more grub?"

"Really?" Gabby cried. "You're all still hungry?"

"Well, it was just a snack, after all," Hamilton responded in a 'duh' tone.

Her hand twitched and her expression turned grim. She stepped down and approached the wall, not uttering a word. She made another dark portal and went inside without a chaperone.

"Is she going to be alright?" Will asked, who kept glancing at the place where weird phenomenon that happened before his eyes.

"If she's angry, which she is, anyone who even touches her would rather suck on a lollipop and wear dirty diapers."

Mike elbowed Jade to silence. "She's not angry, Jade. She's just . . . irritated."

"And that makes things a whole lot better, doesn't it?" Jade remarked. She caught Amy's puzzled eye. "Oh, I'm sorry. Continue, Amy."

Amy nodded halfhearted. "Okay . . ."

_**"**__**CCCHHHH . . . HELP!"**_

**At the noise, Simon fell off his chair, ending a blissful dream. "Whaa? Szzzm? Oh, for the love of 'Enry . . ."**

"What did he say?" Madison asked.

"For the love of Henry," Sinead said.

"Couldn't they put an H to make it more understandable?" Reagan asked.

"It's how they talked," Amy answered.

**The choking was from the new prisoner. The young girl. Babbitt. The spy. He shook himself awake and rose.**

**Lighting a lantern, he approached the cell. "Wha' then?" he called out. "Roast pheasant caught in yer froat?"**

**He snickered. The prisoners always like a bit of humor.**

"Problem is I don't get the joke," Dan said.

**But the choking now sounded like vomiting, which made the guard blanch. Last time that happened, the prisoner died before he could have a proper beheading.**

**And there went an honest day's pay. "'Old yer puke, will ye, and I'll fetch somefing to drink."**

**He returned to his station, a hard seat by the hallway wall. On the floor was a chamber pot, a spittoon, and a jug of cheap beer he'd been sipping for hours. All day long he'd been confusing them. "S'pose it don't matter which . . ." he murmured to himself with a chuckle.**

**The jug of beer smelled a bit off, but he brought it down the hallway and fumbled with the key. "'Elp is 'ere!" he said, opening the gate.**

**Simon felt a tiny sting in his neck. And all went black.**

"Woohoo," Dan yelled. "She got out!"

"Another page break," Amy said. She looked at Jonah and he nodded, mouthing _Go on._

**Madeleine tiptoed past the guard. He was fast asleep.**

**She managed smile. The sleeping potion had worked, and the dart had held just enough of it to knock him out.**

**"**_**I enjoy rainy days . . .**_**" Simon said. "**_**And I miss my little doggie . . ."**_

"Aw, how sweet," Jade said, snickering.

**Madeleine realized the dose must have been a bit too weak. **_**Too little, and the victim will begin revealing his innermost thoughts, **_**Professor Xenophilus had said.**

**This meant she didn't have long to make her escape. Maybe fifteen minutes.**

"Isn't that long enough for anyone to escape?" Ian issued.

"We're not so good at escaping the crime scene like you sneaky little snakes," Hamilton said.

"Yet Amy and Dan manage," Natalie mused.

**In the darkness, she had managed to change clothes. Simon's uniform was filthy and far too large for her frame. She couldn't do much about the aroma, but at least the hooks from Olivia's secret pouch held the material together adequately.**

**As she began climbing a set of steep stone steps, Simon was confessing his fear of bunny rabbits.**

They all laughed at that.

**He would be awake soon, but the fact that he was wearing a governess' dress meant he might not call for help quite so quickly. She tried to look on the bright side. But the ring was lost, Luke that she was Vesper's spy, and if she were caught, she would die. Here best hope was escape, from one of the most heavily guarded palaces in the world.**

Mike snorted. "That one guard is afraid of bunnies. I doubt that the rest of the security is any better."

**She had made stupid, unforgivable mistakes. Putting the ring on the tin flute. Allowing Master Winthrop to convince her to keep it there. Expecting that no one would recognize it.**

**As she neared the top of the stairs, she made a vow.**

**She would escape and regroup. She would use every ounce of her skills and cunning to find the ring. Somehow. And when she did, she would never let anyone, or anything, block the fulfillment of the promises.**

**From this point on, if she survived, the plan would be radically different. It would involve infinite patience. Observation. And more patience. If it took her lifetime—her children's lifetime, **_**their **_**children's lifetime**—**if it took the creation of a secret family **_**within **_**the family, so be it. The 39 Clues would remain secret for centuries if necessary. Until the moment when the families were ready to unite.**

**From this point on, Maddy Babbitt was dead.**

**Long live Madeleine Cahill.**

"OH, YEAH!" Dan jumped out of chair. Amy gave an apologetic shake with her head but she, too, was proud.

**At the landing, she inserted a large skeleton key into the thick, brass-plated wooden door. It creaked loudly as it opened.**

_**"**__**Wha? Hrrrrumph!" **_**a gruff voice shouted. Another guard.**

**Madeleine's leg locked. She cleared her throat and lowered her voice as far as it would go. "Go back to s-s-sleep," she grumbled.**

**"****Right, then, Grandmother . . ." came the answer, followed by a snore.**

Mike did a _tsk-tsk_.

**She stepped out into a narrow hallway. It led past a row of small warrenlike rooms, the living quarters for the kitchen maids. They were already awake, baking and preparing the day's meals. As Madeleine darted past the kitchen, the scent of warm bread made her mouth water.**

**She followed candle-lit sconces through a long corridor. The palace was a maze, but at some point, if she walked far enough, she'd reach a door. She grabbed one of the scones and held it like a torch.**

**"****I beg your pardon?" a voice called from behind her. "May I ask what business you have here?"**

"Caught," Ian muttered.

**It was Williams, the boy's valet.**

**Madeleine's mind raced. Luke had said he did not have the ring. Which meant he had given it to someone he trusted. Could it be Williams? "Hrrrm . . . Lord Cahill has sent me to fetch the ring," she said in her guard voice.**

**"****Ah, the ring, yes," William said. "And you have the written request, do you?"**

**"****Erm, yes, of course," Madeleine said. She reached inside the shirt for her pouch. For the darts.**

**William was backing away. Suddenly he shouted, "Holworthy! Wigglesworth! Stoughton! **_**Hargrove!**_**"**

**Change of plans Madeleine charged forward, sending Williams sprawling into the hall. To her left, an older man in a plaid nightgown and tasseled sleeping cap appeared in a doorway. "**_**Guard!**_**" he shouted. **_**"We have an imposter in the palace!"**_

**Madeleine raced the other way, ducking to the left down another long, straight section of the hallway. At the end of it was a square of dull amber light. The sun was beginning to rise. Soon the entire palace would be awake.**

**The hallway ended in a T, and men were approaching from either side. She wheeled around. The old man was padding toward her, followed by a gaggle of butlers and scullery maids brandishing wire whisks and serving spoons. There was nowhere to go.**

**Except one.**

**She leaned back, pushed open the window, and jumped.**

"Cool!" Dan was now standing up in anticipation.

"Another page break. And sit down, will you?" Amy commanded. She handed the book to Jonah.

He gave an obliged nod then took a deep breath.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah! No more constant chapters from page breaks!**


	18. Madeleine Part 8

**Chapter 18: Madeleine Part 8**

"**Goat manure, though no one's favorite substance, had the benefit of being soft,**" Jonah read.

"Gross!" most all the girls yelped.

"Sissies," Madison and Reagan said. Jade nodded.

**As Madeleine sprang to her feet, she wondered just how many more charms of King Henry's court she would discover.**

**She had landed at the edge of the royal garden. Above her, the palace rang with commotion. She raced towards the barn. Ducking around a corner, she nearly fell into a large barrel.**

_**Rainwater.**_

**She continued her course into the barrel, feetfirst. The water's color clouded fast, and when she jumped out she felt a bit more pleasant, and less fragrant.**

Natalie turned green from the description. She covered her lips with her two fingers and her cheeks puffed up.

**By now she could hear people running across the farm toward her. She headed toward the open barn door.**

**An ox-drawn cart emerged, laden with hay bales. The ox driver was gazing curiously towards the commotion, away from Madeleine. She dove onto the cart, nestling herself between bales.**

**The carts wheels creaked loudly beneath her as they moved. She peered out from the hay. In the distance, the sun struggled over the horizon, casting the ground in a silvery predawn glow. One by one, darkened palace windows were flickering with light. A small arched door flew open, and someone rushed out, dressed in a servant's black cloak.**

**She squinted, trying to recognize the face before the figure rushed away toward the livery stable.**

**Hargorve. Heading in the wrong direction.**

"What's he up to?" Dan asked to himself.

**The cart was slowing now. From behind her, she heard the breathless voice of a guard grilling the driver. She didn't hear the question exactly, but she heard the driver's annoyed reply: "Wha' kind of palace is it where ye can't keep track of yer own governess? **_**You **_**skitter about after 'er, mate. I got work to do."**

"I really can't understand what they're saying," Hamilton said.

"That's because some can't afford education, Holt," Sinead explained.

_**Thank you**_**, she thought, staying still as the cart trundled to who-knew-where. She was too afraid to poke her head up, but she finally did when the cart eventually come to a stop.**

**She recognized the destination. The jousting field. A few yards to the right was a large wooden shed where the knights prepared for practices. It was quieter now, and inside there was sure to be another change of clothes—dry and hay less.**

Natalie gulped. Ian sighed at his sister's overreactions with plebeian clothing.

**As the driver began discussing the weather with someone, Madeleine slipped off the cart and into shed. Hay stuck to every inch of her. A sleeping stable boy opened his eyes briefly and went back to sleep.**

"I think everyone's on a nap that day," Ned chuckled.

**In the morning light, Madeleine saw suits of metal armor, chain mail, pads, boots, helmet, full-body undergarments, saddles, stirrups, curry comb, tack of all sort, swords, lances, maces, and weapon she couldn't name. But she was most interested in the undergarments, some which looked boy size. Quickly she changed into one, a black fabric suit that fit perfectly. It felt good to be dressed in something clean.**

"But no fashion sense at all," Natalie said in disgust.

**Tethered to a pole at one end of the shed were two flea-bitten horses, suited up and ready for the day's jousting. They gazed lazily at her, then went back to chewing a meager scattering of hay.**

**"'****Ungry, mates?" came the driver's voice, just outside the door. "'Igh quality 'ay, comin' yer way—and dry's a bone!"**

**Madeleine panicked. No one in the kingdom would fail to recognize a young woman in men's garment.**

"Page break," Jonah said.

"I'm back," Gabby shouted, pushing another cart.

"FOOD!" Everyone bustled towards her. She slipped out of the crowd with ease and walked towards her companions as the hunters chose their meal from the assorted provisions.

"You did well," Mike said. "On your own."

"Of course I can. My father is always by himself. My brother and my mother before she joined the Saladin League."

Mike shook his head. "But you shouldn't think that way. You have me and Jade and we'll always be here for you."

Before a reply could escape from her lips, Will intervened. "Gabby, where did you get these?" He showed them different plates of exotic cuisines.

All she did was smile and say, "I have a special gift."

After everyone (mostly the Holts, Dan, and Jade) stuffed themselves with every scrap of food, they continued the story with Jonah reading.

**"****Saints alive, ain't they feedin' yer nothin' bit crickets and mices?" the driver said as he entered, letting a bale of hay from each shoulder before the grateful horse. Outside, the king's men were jabbering on about the missing governess.**

**"'****Ear that? Missing lassie! Meself, I don't blame 'er. That Master Winthrop is worse than a stubborn nag—no offense."**

"None taken," Jade smirked. A death glare passed through her body from her left side.

**He slipped the horses a couple of sugar cubes before exiting. "'Ere, put some fat on yer spindly bones."**

**Madeleine watched it all through the slits of a helmet. She hadn't imagined how heavy a helmet and a suit of chain mail could be. Or how hot. Or what a perfect hiding place it was.**

**By the time the voices began to recede, she felt like she was roasting. Through the slits in the helmet she could see the stable boy stirring. She would have to gain his trust. She lifted one leg and stepped forward. The chain mail clanked heavily. "Please," she said, her voice sounding dull and muffled through the helmet, "wake up."**

**The boy's eyes flickered open and he sprang to his feet. "I'm—I'm sorry," he cried out. "I worked through the night, I did. Only been sleepin' a moment or two—"**

**Before Madeleine could reply, a deep voice thundered from the open door. "Good morrow, McGarrigle! Are we ready?"**

**"****Er . . . almost, my lord," the boy replied.**

**Madeleine turned. Ducking through the door was an older man, holding a riding crop. Glancing at Madeleine, he grinned. "Well, I'll be a two-headed buzzard—'tisn't often that a jousting partner arrives this early.**

"Jousting partner?" the Cahill siblings cried.

**Fearless fellow, eh? Let me know when ye're in yer tournament armor, and we can begin straight away. Make sure this man has a fine mount, McGarrigle!"**

**Madeleine could fell her chain mail clatter as she shook. "Mount?" she said in her deepest voice to McGarrigle. "As in . . . **_**mount**_**?"**

"She's about to joust," Ian said in an excited tone. Everybody turned to him with weird looks.

"What? I've always wanted to joust," Ian stated.

"The proof is in his journal," Natalie whispered.

**"****It won't be so bad," the boy said, approaching her with heavy set of metal armor, "as long as ye're protected wiff these."**

**It took about twenty minutes for Madeleine to climb into the armor, with the boy's help. It felt like as if she were wearing small building. "I'm supposed to move in this?" she asked.**

**"****It's the least 'eavy suit we 'ave." The boy, who was examining the teeth of the two horses, took the reins of one and brought it closer. "This old nag may stay on its feet for a few moments at least," he said. "Good luck jousting wiff the old fellow."**

Ian smile went wider. "She's going to joust—"

"Shush," Mike said in a hushed voice. "Don't spoil it for them."

**"****But—" Madeleine said.**

**"****Step on this," McGarrigle said, pushing her onto a wooden platform, which he raised with a massive winch.**

**Madeleine felt herself rising in jolts of motion until her knees were the height of the horse's back. With a swift move, McGarrigle slid her leg off the platform and out over the horse. She landed on the horse's back with a thud, causing her knees buckle.**

**"****Sorry, I has to do this wiff all his partners," McGarrigle said, adding with a rueful sigh, "but never the same feller twice, if ye know what I mean."**

Amy cringed. "This would end badly, if she doesn't think of something to get out of it."

**Madeleine felt the blood drain from her face. "Let me down!" she protested. But McGarrigle thrust into her hand a lance that felt as heavy as a tree, and her shoulder was nearly wrenched out of its socket.**

**"****We'll share a cup afterward," the boy said, "if yer head's still attached."**

"That comment makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside, doesn't it?" Jade turned to Amy and Dan.

**"****Wait—this is a m-m-mistake!" Madeleine stammered, lifting her visor.**

**"****You bet yer sweet buzzard it is," the boy said, giving the horse a good, hard kick.**

**Madeleine's visor slammed shut as the horse galloped into the sunlight. She fought to stay upright, to keep her lance from drooping to the ground.**

**The field was long and dusty, with a few rows of empty seats on either side. At the far end, her opponent sat tall atop a black steed whose leg muscles bulged and glistened. "Ah, grand!" he shouted, clutching his helmet to his side. "It's not often the Spanish ambassador arrives early for a joust. I was expecting not to see you at all!"**

"They think that she's an ambassador?" Reagan asked. "She said that it would be easy to recognize a girl wearing armor."

"Is it obvious that there's a woman inside bulky metal for men?" Natalie countered.

"Now that you mentioned it . . ." Reagan was lost in thought.

_**Spanish ambassador?**_

**Madeleine recognized the voice before she could see him through the slits of her visor. It was King Henry.**

"A brilliant adversary. She's a goner," Ian mumbled.

"Well, aren't you the optimistic boy," Sinead said saracstically.

**In his armor, he appeared to be the size of two men. He handled his own lance as if it were a willow wasp. **

"He would've been a good Tomas agent," Hamilton remarked thoughtfully. "If he was alive today."

**With a grin, he raised the visor of his helmet. "I have received word of your . . . disapproval of my desire to annul my marriage. You know my position, and you know my right as king. Yet still you protest. Perhaps we shall decide this matter on the field?"**

"They're seriously fighting over that? Men," Sinead thought out loud. The girls all agreed.

The males glared at their feminine company.

**Madeleine tried to think of something to say, but it was enough just to keep upright. Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted a distant fancy carriage approaching—probably the **_**real **_**ambassador.**

**"****I take your silence as an agreement!" the king bellowed, lowering the visor. His horse dipped its head twice, impatiently striking the ground with its hooves. As steam puffed from its nostrils, it looked more bull than horse.**

**"****Readyyyyyy!" King Henry called out, raising his lance high**

_**I'm dead**_**, Madeleine thought.**

"Even your dear founder agrees with me, love," Ian said.

Amy was too weak from her dinner to respond. She was totally stuffed.

**If he even so much as swung that lance, its wind alone would knock her over. She had to get away. Now.**

**"****About f-f-ace," she said to the horse, flailing with her boots. "Into the barn, please. It's time for some tasty hay! **_**Haaaaaaay!"**_

**The horse took off like a shot, toward King Henry. **

"I think he's already full of hay," Reagan said, "like us."

**The king seemed surprised, as if he wasn't expecting her to go just yet. "Cheating doesn't work in England," he hissed.**

**He kicked his horse. The steel dug in hard, sending up storm clouds of dirt. The king's eyes blazed through the visor as he slowly lowered the lance.**

**It was pointed at Madeleine's heart.**

**No time to think. She lifted her lance, too, but it was far too heavy. Even if she could strike him, the torque alone would pull her off the horse.**

**King Henry was forty yards away . . . twenty . . .**

**Madeleine's shoulder was falling. The tip of the lance was nearly to the ground. And her horse was headed directly **_**at **_**King Henry instead of to his side.**

**"****Blast it, what are you doing?" he cried.**

_**Remember, smartest always beats strongest.**_

Sinead smirked at Hamilton.

**Olivia's words were like a trumpet call. Madeleine ungritted her teeth and let out a scream.**

"Shouldn't that reveal that she's a girl?" Reagan bluntly said.

**The tip of her lance dug into the soil. It bent into a taut C. She felt her body lifting out of the saddle. She pulled back on her boots, releasing them from the stirrup. Freeing her from the horse.**

**The weight of her suit almost broke the lance, but instead she vaulted high into the air.**

**From below her came a bloodthirsty yell. She felt the whoosh of King Henry's lance as it passed beneath her feet and over the top of her horse's saddle. Her lance twanged as it grazed the royal steed's flank. She held tight. As the pole retracted and straightened, for a moment Madeleine was suspended in the air.**

"That was totally . . ." Dan need not to finish his sentence. He jumped up and punched the air in a triumphant manner. Amy sighed and pulled her brother's arm, hauling him down.

"She's still dangling up in the air, remember," Amy said.

**Her horse faltered below her, confused. Then it began picking up speed. Eyeing its saddle, Madeleine pushed against the lance and released her grip. She plummeted downward, hoping to time her trajectory right. Hoping that the laws of physics she had learned from Xenophilus—angles of momentum, vectors and velocity—would save her life.**

**With a loud **_**whomp**_**, she landed heavily on its back. The horse let out a baffled whinny. Its leg nearly gave out, but fear took charge and it dug it harder.**

Amy let out a sigh. "That was too close."

_**"**__**In the name of—**__**come back here, you coward!**__**"**_** shouted King Henry from behind her.**

**The horse was heading at full tilt toward the palace's stone gate. Four feet thick, it had been opened to let out an ornate, gilded black carriage. Now the gate was rising, and the guards stared at her in dismay. "What the devil are you doin'?" one of them screamed, running in her pathway. "Ye'll get yerself killt!"**

"Kilt? A Scottish man skirt?" Dan asked in confusion.

"I think he means killed, dweeb," Amy said. Jade smiled at that reply.

**The horse was frothing now. It whinnied again, picking up speed. At the last second, the guard leaped out of the way.**

**Her eyes on the retreating carriage, Madeleine held tight as the horse squeezed through the gap.**

"Epic," Dan announced. "Purely epic, my fellow Cahills."

Amy crossed her arms and gave him a 'sit-down-now' look. He reluctantly did, without an in-your-face dance to the Lucians.

"Daniel, get your filthy arse out of my face," Natalie cried, shielding her eyes.

"Real mature," Ian said calmly though following his sister's example.

Amy glared at her brother. All he did was shrug.

"And that's another page, my peeps," Jonah said with his stage voice. He placed the book on Will's lap. "Your turn, man."

"Thanks, da—DUDE, I mean dude. Yeah . . ." He flipped through the pages, trying to avoid the icy glares of the three original hosts.

* * *

><p>"Sinead, do you think . . ."<p>

"Ted, are you certain that's what you heard?"

"Positive."

"Sis, from what Ted said, do you really believe—"

Sinead silenced Ned as Will began to read. The three young Ekats glanced over to the stools.

"We'll talk about this later, at night," she whispered to her brothers.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: /rubs hands spitefully/ Oh, the things these three will discover.**

**Thanks for all the reviews you kept giving me, despite the fact there's another 'Reading the Vespers Rising' story. I dub everyone who reviews in this story officially awesome! Post it on your profile if you wish:**

**|~Violet911 has officially dubbed thee:|  
>| AWESOME-LY AWESOME |<strong>


	19. Madeleine Part 9

**Chapter 19: Madeleine Part 9**

"**"****There, Father! That'll be the tree!" Master Winthrop said, pointing through the window of the royal carriage,**" Will read.

**"****Are you sure, son?" his father said. "It looks like every other tree in the forest."**

**"****The knothole.**

"What's a knothole?" Dan asked, as always.

"It's like a hole in a tree or something in that manner," Amy supplied.

**It's in the right place. The two branches like the arms of a dancer!" Winthrop barely waited the carriage to stop before he leaped out.**

**Luke Cahill grabbed a torch as his son raced to the knothole. Although it was morning, the thick tree cover made the forest dark. Luke had given clear instructions. They were to reach in to that hole together. He could not risk the clumsiness of an eleven-year-old's fingers destroying anything fragile.**

"Too true," Mike remarked.

"Yup," Amy said.

"Never let her in my room," Ian stated.

"They always broke my computers," Hamilton muttered.

The four glanced at their young responsibilities.

"Good thing I don't have kid with me," Jonah said. Will looked dejected for a moment.

"Noted," Sinead mumbled.

**If the girl had hidden something crucial—his father's full list of ingredients, perhaps . . .**

**Or was it**_** their **_**father's? His and the girl's? All night, in his dreams, he had seen Madeleine's face—her features transforming into Olivia's and then Gideon's. Her mannerisms were so like Jane's, her voice nearly identical to Katherine's. What if she **_**were **_**his sister? How could he countenance her death?**

"I thought Lucians would, or attempt to, kill anyone that got in their way," Ned grumbled. "Family or not."

Ian shifted uncomfortably. "We're not all heartless."

Amy nodded, thinking of Irina Spasky.

**"****Father, come!" Luke was snapped back into reality by the voice of his son. His only**_** real**_** family.**

_**You sentimental fool**_**, he scolded himself, walking towards the tree,**_** you must not be swayed by a face. The world is full of traps**_**.**

"Paranoia. It just gets to you," Jade said. "But I think it would've made a big difference if the Luke Cahill did believe Madeleine."

"Where would we be then?" Mike asked his cousin.

"I dunno. Somewhere between some kind of paradise and a sick, twisted nightmare," she replied.

"Lovely," he said.

**Winthrop waited by the knothole, his hands clasped together, dancing from foot to foot with excitement. "May I look? May I at least look?"**

**Luke lit the torch. Ignoring the boy's request, Luke walked passed him and peered into the knothole. He adjusted the torch, but even at full light, all he could see was a gray lump at the bottom.**

"I can guess what's in there," Sinead murmured.

"No spoilers, Sinead," Jade told her.

**He reached in carefully, hoping it was not a dead animal—or, worse, a live one with sharp teeth.**

**His fingers closed around the limp, shapeless mass. He grasped as much as he could, lifted the thing out, and spread it onto the forest floor.**

**Gray pants. A gray shirt. Gray socks stuffed into rough, black leather shoes. A gray woolen face mask.**

"All dark clothing," Ian said.

"It's our signature look," Dan joked.

**Disgusted, Luke reached back in but extracted nothing more than wood chips, acorns, and a handful of agitated ants.**

**"****Those were her clothes!" Master Winthrop said. "She was wearing these when she robbed the marketplace!"**

**Luke's mind reviewed the layout of the market. The fruits, vegetables, meats on the south end—and the cobblers, tinkers, and clothing merchants to the north. "She had stolen a change of clothes . . ." he said. "She needed something presentable for the interview. She changed her outfit here."**

**Winthrop giggled. "She took off all her clothes outdoors?"**

**"****She was hiding only**_** clothing**_**!" Luke said, kicking the garments in frustration.**

**"****Can you let her go, then, Father?" Winthrop said. "She really is lovely. And . . . well, have you thought of taking new wife? The king likes to do that, you know—"**

Suddenly, Jade burst into laughter.

"Classic," she chortled, wiping off an imaginary tear. "You know, a Lucian saying that a Madrigal is _lovely._"

"How'd you know about that?" Ian blurted out, and completely regretted it when everyone was staring at him.

"What?" Amy asked.

"Nothing," Ian said, keeping his voice even. He brushed of some dust from his shoulder and sat down without another word.

"What am I going to do with you, Jade? You'll endanger us and the mission," Mike muttered to the blonde girl.

"Maybe you could gag her," Gabby whispered from behind Jade's back.

Mike shook his head. "Didn't work. Uncle set his dogs loose after me when he found out in one reunion."

Ned raised eyebrows to his siblings, but said nothing.

_**Enough.**_** Luke glared at the boy, and he shrank back.**

**Behind him sounded the clattering of hooves, swift-moving and strong. Luke glanced up to see trees moving near a blind corner behind his son.**

_**"**__**Winthrop!**__**"**_** he shouted, yanking his son off the road with one hand.**

**As they both dove away, a team of colossal horses thundered by. Luke sheltered his son with his body as soil and branches rained over them. He heard his owner driver shouting something in shock, followed by the shriek of horse and the crack of splitting wood.**

**It was over in an instant, but not before Luke had a chance to see the receding carriage.**

**Its color was black and as deep purple, with a gilded V painted on its side like a bolt of lightning. Through the oval of the rear window, Luke spotted a shock of black hair with a streak of silver.**

_**Vesper**_**.**

"If the same Vesper is in the next story-thingy, I'm actually going to believe that he did sell his soul to the devil," Reagan stated. "How old is he now? Like 62 or something?"

**Luke felt his blood rise. Nineteen years had only sharpened his rage at the murderer of his father.**

**"****What was that?" Master Winthrop asked.**

**Luke's own carriage lay in splinters at the other side of the road, the horses bolting into the woods and the driver wandering dazedly.**

**"****It is the man who made me what I am," Luke said between gritted teeth. He grabbed his son by the scruff of the neck. "Follow me!"**

"Page break," Will said.

**Damien Vesper hated the countryside.** **Too much fresh are led to high spirits. And high spirits made people into idiots.**

"Is that so?" Amy said, glancing over her brother. She made a mental note not to take her brother outside often.

**The smell of fear calmed him full strength from the seat opposite his.**

**"****I—believe that was Lord Cahill's carriage," said the valet Hargrove.**

**Vesper had never seen a man sweat so much. It was downright unseemly in a grown man. "The**_** late**_** Lord Cahill, I would imagine,"** **Vesper replied. "Alas, drivers these days . . . so reckless! I will have to speak to mine."**

**He smiled agreeably, by the man remained stone-face. How dreary. Years ago, the help could carry on a really conversation—not just sit like limps, expecting to be entertained!**

_**Just as well**_**, he thought.**_** This one had outlived his usefulness**_**.**

Everyone knew what Vesper had in mind for Hargrove.

Amy closed her eyes and hoped the thought will go away.

**"****You did good work, Hargrove," he said, holding out his hand. "Took the training quickly, used uncanny powers of observation. I impress at how you were able to recognize the ring. I will have it now."**

**"****Of course, Your Lordship, but you promised five hundred pounds in advance." Hargrove's sweat was dripping from his nose, which struck Vesper as inconsiderate. Especially from one who expected rewards.**

Natalie's nose twitched in disgust, but she made no comment on the grave situation.

**"****I said I would**_** advance**_** you five hundred pounds," Vesper replied. "Which sum would be payable upon receipt of the ring!"**

**"****I—I have seen the inscription on it," Hargrove blurted out. "And for another few pounds, I can tell you what I think it means—"**

"He knows how?" Amy half-cried.

Sinead snorted. "Highly doubt it, Cahill."

**"**_**Inscription**_**?" This was getting interesting. In recent years, Vesper had heard of a secret ring. But he had never connected this ring to Gideon Cahill.**

**It had taken him nearly two decades to track down Olivia. He'd intended to force out the secrets to Gideon's serum but failed again. How delightful to discover there was a daughter. When he'd seen her hiding at the funeral, everything just . . . fit.**

"So the Cahills," Dan started, "who we've been, and successfully, trying to unite together, didn't know about Madeleine. But this crazy, psychotic—even more murderous—group does? How does that seem fair?"

Amy rolled her eyes at her brother's rant. "It's not, but you got to deal with it."

**She was fiddling with a ring. And his last memory flashed back to her father and the last conversation he'd had with Olivia. He thought she was a grieving widow then, and not another conniving Cahill.**

**Now he knew better.**

"That we're awesome and that you can't defeat us," Jade completed.

**"****What inscription did you see?" he pressed. Following Madeleine, bribing the servants—all of that had been child's play. He had no room for his lackey's stubborn attitude.**

**"****If I am to reveal the ring," Hargrove said, swallowing hard, "I must have your word that—"**

**Vesper heard a soft zing. Hargrove fell silent, his mouth agape. He clutched the side of his neck and fell to the ground.**

_Madeleine's darts,_ everyone thought.

**"****Do not play with me, man," Vesper said. But as he knelt over Hargrove, he heard another zing, and another. He flatted himself to the floor and slapped Hargrove in the face, hard.**

**That was when he notice the small dart stuck in the servant's neck.**

_**Bandits**_**. Vesper grabbed a firearm, a long arquebus,** **from under the carriage seat. "Move!" he cried to the driver. "Faster!"**

**His coachman whipped the horses. They took off through the woods, the carriage bouncing wildly. Vesper climbed out of the rear and nearly vaulted toward the driver.**

**A set of hands grabbed him from behind.**

**Vesper twisted his body around. He dug his elbow into the attacker's neck and raised his arquebus high.**

**With a grunt, he brought the butt down hard. The attacker tried to duck away, but the gun caught his shoulder. Vesper could see him now—slender, dressed in black, including a mask that covered most of the face.**

**Lifting his foot, he gave the thief a kick.**

**With a cry, the black-garbled figure fell over the side.**

**His gloved fingers gripped the railing, and he struggled to keep his feet off the swift-moving ground.**

**Vesper caught his breath. With a smile, he pinched the gloved hand's pinkie and lifted it off the railing. "This little piggy went to the market . . ."**

**He flicked the next finger off, and the attacker sank lower.**

**Now the bandit's feet were scraping across the roots and ruts. He let out an odd, high-pitched scream—almost a woman's voice.**

"If an eleven year old can figure out that she's a woman, how can he not?" Ned asked in disbelief.

"He's old," Jade answered, like it's the only rational explanation to this occurrence.

**The carriage bounced violently again. Vesper flew backwards and felt the small of his back hit the joint of the carriage frame. He clenched his teeth with the pain.**

**The fun was over.**

**He lifted the arquebus and pointed it at the intruder's head, which was fast sinking over the edge of the carriage. Releasing the shuttlecock, he placed his finger on the trigger.**

Amy grabbed hold of her brother's hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Amy, grip hurts," Dan said through gritted teeth. She released him.

**A deafening crack spilt in the air. Vesper felt the recoil of the firearm, the smell of gunpowder. But his shot had gone off course. He rose into the air and then smacked back down sharply. The carriage was careening side to side, its wheels tilting inward at the top, wobbling.**

**"****The axle!" the driver shouted. "She's splitting milord!"**

**On the edge of carriage, Vesper caught a glimpse of the intruder's fingers, struggling to regain hold. This bandit had dismaying agility and strength.**

Dan displayed his amateur karate chops. "We've got moves."

_**Forget him, he can't hold on forever**_**, Vesper scolded himself. He caught a glimpse of Hargrove. He had to get the ring from that fool and then jump off before the carriage smashed into splinters. He dove into the cabin, reaching into the pockets of the unconscious valet.**_** Where did he hide it**_**?**

**There. His money belt. Vesper ripped it open and pulled out the golden prize.**

"Bad protection," Ian simply stated.

**With a wild, triumphant smile, he sat up and held it high. There was enough light to see a string of tiny symbols.**

**Holding tight to the ring, he scrambled toward the front of the carriage. He couldn't keep his footing. The wheels were slanting, the carriage bottom scraping the ground. In a moment the axle would split in two. The driver's seat was already empty.**_** So much for loyalty**_**.**

"No, it's just that the driver is smart enough that they're goners and they can't over power the magnificent Madeleine," Jade said. Then, she placed her finger on her chin, adding, "Or maybe he got captured."

**As Vesper prepared to jump, he saw a movement beneath him. He tried to look down, but his feet lifted off the surface. He was flying.**

**His vision filled with the trunk of a thick oak tree, racing closer. He drew his arms in for protection. And he screamed.**

**The last thing he saw before him was before impact was a great black shadow.**

"Page break!" Will announced.

**"****Help!" Master Winthrop cried out. It had begun to rain. He felt scared. Why had Father run ahead of him? It was dark and cold.**

**There. Just ahead. He could see Father in his cloak, crouching on the ground.**

**At that moment he was glad for the rain. Maybe it would disguise his crying. Father never like it when he cried.**

"Ditto," Ian and Natalie murmured.

**As he drew closer, he slowed. The carriage—the one that had nearly killed them—was scattered across the forest in pieces. It looked as if Father had taken the whole thing apart himself.**

Hamilton laughed. "He can't, but I bet my founder could."

**"****Father?" he said. Master Winthrop crept closer, his heart beating like a bunny rabbit's. His father remained silent, his back to Winthrop. In the distance, two men had been tied to an old oak tree. He recognized old Hargrove, and the second man was dressed in a livery suit. **

"See, the driver was captured," Jade said.

**There appeared to have been a third captive, but he had managed to escape, the ropes in a heap beside the tree.**

"Aw, Vesper got away," Dan cried. His face lit up a second later. "But that means Madeleine has the ring."

"So, where's the ring now," Natalie said, crossing her arms in a daunting manner, "if your founder got it back?"

Amy and Dan looked at each other.

"Um, it's with Uncle Fiske," Amy said, raising her left hand.

Ian cocked a brow. "Really, Amy?"

Amy nodded hastily. "Yes, now can we continue?"

**"****Are they . . . alive?" Winthrop said, placing his hand on his father's shoulder.**

**But Luke Cahill's eyes remained fixed on the ground in front of them. It had been smoothed. Etched deeply into the soil, in precise letters, was a message that made Winthrop's blood run cold:**

Will showed them the picture.

"_Beware the Madrigal,_" he said out loud, closing the book.

"And that my relatives," Mike smiled, "is how the Madrigals legend came to be."

"Best story I've ever heard," Jade admitted, eyeing Will.

Mike rolled his eyes and checked his pocket watch. A glint of fear passed his eye as he snapped shut and pocketed his watch.

"Well, it's time to hit the hay. From what Gabby reported, your dinners will be inside your rooms. Jade dear, if you please take out your Remote so we could all go to our rooms."

She nodded and pressed the dreaded button.

The last thing Amy remembered was a faint ringtone before they all plunged into the darkness where she got knocked out by the impact of the floor.

* * *

><p>"Amy, AMY!"<p>

Dan shook her shoulders, slapped her face, and cried out to his sister but she couldn't respond, except for an almost undetectable moan that escaped her dry lips before she passed out.

Mike stood up and flexed his arms. Lips quivering, he approached the motionless body, but Dan shielded his sister from all of them.

"Don't touch her. Nobody touches Amy," he yelled.

Mike raised his hands up in surrender, slowly edging towards the Cahill siblings. "It's alright, Daniel. She had a little bump in the head, that's all."

He placed his hand on Dan's shoulder. Dan didn't react. He was too busy hugging his sister.

"She'll be alright," he assured once again. He turned to Gabby, whose bum was on the floor. "Can you help Dan carry Amy to her bedroom? Jade and I will have to discuss about something."

Gabby agreed. She and Dan placed Amy's arms around their shoulders and they half-dragged/half-lifted the female Madrigal to her room.

"Ow!" Ned groaned, sitting up and clutching his head from the end of the hall with his brother on his side, moaning from the pain in his arm. Sinead got up, with faint bruises on her arms for safeguarding herself from the fall, and rushed to her siblings' aid.

"How—How did we not float?" Jade asked, overlooking the bleeding gash on her hand. She shook the Remote up in the air. "This baby never failed us before."

Mike hardly listened to his cousin's complaints. He was staring intently at his phone. The screen was flashing yellow and dark words spelling **HELP!**

Calmly closing his phone, he turned to everyone. Some of them were sitting on the floor, rather perplexed by the sudden impact unlike the first try, and others were standing up on high alert.

"All of you go to your rooms. We have a security breach," Mike called out, giving partial information to the Cahills. They hesitated at first, but maybe from the look on his desperate face they departed to their rooms. The Starlings, Hamilton, and Reagan, however, were rooted to their spots.

"Go to your rooms," Mike ordered again.

"My brothers are hurt, if you're too blind to see it." Sinead helped Ned up, masking her worry for her brother. "I'm taking them to my room, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind," he replied impatiently. He looked at the two Holts. "And what about you two?"

"Um," the oldest Holt started, "I'll just help Sinead with Ted."

"Me, too," Reagan yelled.

"No, I'm fine," Sinead protested, waving her hand while supporting Ned. "I can carry them both."

His mind was currently wrapped around the grave situation upstairs, so he didn't think about the hunters. "Fine, then. Be on your way."

Hamilton nodded and carried Ted onto his shoulder like a pillow. Ignoring Sinead's objections for the Holts to go inside her room, they all entered, swiftly slamming the door shut as they did.

"Will, don't just lie down there like lazy prat," Mike said harshly, faintly kicking the hurt figure of the actor. With Jade by his side, he solemnly said, "The three of us have a rescue mission to commence. Geronimo sent me a distress signal on my phone saying that Mary is injured in an area nearby the manor. And the Vespers are hot on their tails."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This where the action begins!**

**Sadly, it would take me a long time for me update because I predict the next chapter will be a long one. But the good news is that there's more to wait on.**

**I do not own anything you've seen or heard in real life.**

**~Violet911**


	20. The Rescue and Revelation

**Chapter 20: The Revelation and Rescue**

If you ever passed by the Starlings' dorm, you'd noticed that there's no sound coming out of it, even if they're inside. And that's how Sinead wanted it.

After bribing the dean of their college to let the three triplets stay in one temporary dorm (for personal and medical reasons), Sinead installed an Ekat-approved sound proof system inside the room, like how they did to their rooms in their own home.

Sinead just wished she should've put up a system that could keep out Tomas agents in her bedroom.

"Now, Holt, just set Ted down gently," Sinead said, pointing at her salmon colored canopy bed. Hamilton raised the Starling boy up above his head, grinning wildly.

Sinead rolled her eyes and whispered once more, "Gently, you dolt."

He shrugged and placed the boy _gently_ down on top of the covers. Ted winced in pain.

"You could stop pretending now, Ted. You may be an Ekat, but your Janus skills are practically rubbish beside that girl singer," Sinead snorted, small smile forming in her face.

"You mean Justin Bieber?" Ted said, sitting up and totally not in pain.

"My head," Ned groaned. Sinead returned to her worried look as she let her other brother lie on the bed.

"Okay, you may leave us, Holts," Sinead demanded, her backs on the Tomas as she was heading towards her medicine cabinet.

"We're not going anywhere, Starling," Reagan countered in an oh-so-sweet way. "We heard you awhile ago, talking about something you found out about those doppelgangers."

"First of all, I didn't find out about it. Ted did," Sinead said, gesturing towards her brother who took his cue to take a great bow. She turned back to the two Holts. "And second, how's you find out?"

"You were talking in reverse Morse code when the Wizard look-alike was reading," Hamilton replied, saying like it's no big deal.

Sinead folded her arms and cocked her hips. "You're not as dumb as I thought you would be."

"And you're not as intelligent as I thought you would be," Hamilton retorted idly.

That caught Sinead off guard. "You thought I was intelligent?"

He blushed. "It's just a compliment, Starling."

Ted clapped his hands loudly that it disrupted the gaze Sinead and Hamilton had a moment ago. "Ahem. Even though I'm the blind one here, I still know when some is pushing a personal boundary in the brotherhood code."

"What brotherhood?" she asked, but the boys nodded like complete understood the statement. She rolled her eyes once more.

"Whatever you males pass between your cerebellums, you can't be here, Holt."

"Why not? Me and my sisters has been racking heads trying to figure out who they are."

"Hope it wasn't too hard," Sinead sneered, but Hamilton was unmoved.

"Come on, I've never asked you anything. Just this one time," Hamilton pleaded, gesturing Reagan to do the same. It was a strange sight for the young brilliant mind of Sinead Starling to register. The Tomas actually pleading help from an Ekat. She sat down on her thinking chair beside her computer. Her back upright, elbows on her lap and fingers connected with their tips, she thought of foul play as she stared at the Tomas

"How can I trust you two?" Sinead demanded.

"We have some valuable information that you might be interested," Reagan reasoned. "If you let us stay, we'll make an info switch."

Sinead and Ted brooded over that deal by putting their heads together. Literally. Two minds are better than one (though it may have been great if they had their third party was with them in this deliberation, but he was at the time having a slightly painful migraine).

After getting one of those brain-blast bruises, Ted nodded tentatively. "Alright, but it has to be connected to our matter. Nothing about sports or working out or all that over dose nonsense you do with your bodies."

The Holts grinned. "Actually, it's about both. Do you remember that one of our kidnappers, the one that looks like the Kabra boy?"

"Yes, Mike. Black hair, fairly tall (about 5" 9'), wearing a gray suit, orange sweater vest, red tie and a white dress shirt. So far from limited sources, cousin of Jade and probably in a love relationship with the mysterious Gabby an—"

"Enough," Hamilton cried, using his beefy hands to cover her mouth. "I didn't ask you to specify. Geez."

Glaring, Sinead silently pushed the hand away from her mouth. Hamilton took a step back, a bit wary on how the Starling is going to act about the little move.

She spat. And glared. And said, "Next time, just tell me. Not shove your sweaty hand to my lips."

"Sorry," he mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Now, continue," she started, eyes sparkled with raw interest. With a hostile tone, she added quickly, "Before I lose my patience."

"Okay, Miss Starling," he said sarcastically. He took a seat on the bedside, facing Sinead as she sat down once more. Reagan just hopped down to the floor in a cross-sitting position and placed her elbows on her knees, looking earnestly at her brother with her both knuckles supporting her by the chin. Ted just sat there on the bed, with his brother mildly groaning behind him.

Hamilton took a deep breath and revealed his pieces of evidence for Sinead Starling's critical theory.

* * *

><p>"And how are we supposed to go up there, Mister I'm-so-smarter-and-richer-and-popular-than-all-of-you?" Jade had her arms crossed, her hips cocked, and the soles of her boot's hollow tapping echoed around the abandoned chamber, which used to be a Madrigal-Tomas training area but was now a dark stadium, when she confronted her cousin in one of their pre-problems, as Will calls it. "How do we do it, since the elevator is broken and the emergency stairs are nothing but wreckage of stone and metal?"<p>

Will was watching from the bleachers as the two relatives fought about their current obstacle to rescue the rest of their old team mates on the field. He was now dressed in a cleaner camouflage outfit that was found in one of the lockers beside the working area (and by clean, he meant it only contained sweat and occasional roach inside the pockets). But he was thankful he had a shower from an actual bathroom with available indoor plumbing. Will shivered at the thought of going back to a hobo in the streets of the enemy. He may be a great actor, but there are some roles in his life that need to be re-casted because it seriously crossed his comfort zone. He shook his head in dismay. He can't even remember when he was in his comfort zone.

_Maybe it was the last time I was with Dad._

He smiled at the thought of his father, before he was sent out to recruit some young Cahills in the African regions. They were in L.A. when it was still the bright yet crime filled placed that they called home. It was a Saturday morning. The two were out the porch and eating ice cream, quietly contented that the paparazzi can never see them because the Ekats kindly (well, not kindly but one of them was a personal friend from an incident in his Dad's youth) installed a cloaking force field around the two-story house, making it look like a haunted apartment that no one dared to enter (but if they did, they always meet a shocking surprise). The paparazzi never found out where they lived. But back to his flashback . . .

"_Dad," he said, as his vanilla ice cream started to moisten from the hot sun. "Why are we living in a small house? I mean, did you see those other kid actor's house on TV? They might as well place a small airport inside there."_

_He chuckled at this. "When I was famous, I owned a big house once. With my dad and mom. Well, minus my mom."_

"_Did she die in a mission, like what happened to my mom?" asked Will, watching the ice cream roll down the cone. It wiped the smile off his father's face._

"_My mom did not live with us again, not because she died or something," he responded slowly, rubbing his neck uncomfortably. "She just didn't want to live with us anymore."_

_And that was the end to that discussion. Dad made the right move to change the subject._

"_How's the ice cream, William?"_

_Will gave him a thumbs-up while sipping on what-was-once-frozen dairy cream. "Great, Dad."_

"_Good," he mumbled. Then he took the GPS phone he gave Will years back. He placed it on his son's left hand. "Because you're going somewhere very hot today. I wanted to make sure your body is cool enough to go there."_

_Will did not react to this. He kept on licking the remaining ice cream on the cone._

"_Jade told you, huh?" his dad said as he resumed eating his own chocolate ice cream._

_A small blush spread across his cheeks. "Y-yeah."_

_Dad elbowed him on the shoulder. "And you didn't tell her yet, did you?"_

_Will shrugged innocently. "I didn't get the chance. She's probably in New York now, stuffing herself with hot dogs."_

"_Sadly, you didn't inherit my moves for the ladies," Dad said, shaking his head._

"_You, Dad. You have moves?"_

_Dad cocked an eyebrow as he licked the remaining food from his hand. "How'd you think I got your mom?"_

"_Blackmail?" Will suggested._

_His father swiftly ate the last of his ice cream and then grabbed his son in a lighthearted manner. He ruffled his son's black curly hair. He didn't notice, however, that Will's ice cream fell on his lap._

"_Aw, no! My threads," his dad cried._

"_Serves you right, Dad," Will teased, acting like a 10-year-old instead of being a mature fifteen year-old. Well, maybe not he's that mature._

_His dad grinned and wrapped his arm around Will's neck again. He gave a light kiss on the forehead and did a hard nudge on Will's shoulder._

"_Serves me right," Dad repeated, watching people giving us cautious glances at the father and son as they pass by their house._

Unfortunately, the conversation in Will's head didn't continue because Jade was calling his name. That always woke him up.

"What? What happened?" he asked in surprise. He looked down on them to see they just decided something. Just from their postures. Jade's hip was cocked with her fists on both sides and Mike had his hands behind his back, looking like a general in war.

That last part was probably true.

"I—" Jade looked at her glaring cousin. "I mean, we decided since both of our previous exits are destroyed and we can't use Gabby to get up there . . ."

Mike showed the objects in his hands. A long coil of rope and a few hooks.

"How good are you in climbing walls, William?" asked Mike.

* * *

><p>Amy was having a bad dream. It was pretty obvious from her squeamishness.<p>

In her dream, she kept having flashes of images. Just flashes, mind, not the whole picture. And whispers.

She saw a flash of brown hair and glasses. She took it as Evan Tolliver, her high school crush. She heard vague messages from his mouth. He looked worried.

His blurry face disappeared as a snake lunged for her face. Amy recoiled in terror. Then, she heard an evil laugh that came with the snake hisses. Amy swiveled around to see where it was coming from though she saw nothing. It was pitch black and the laugh grew fainter and fainter until it her human ears could barely detect a chuckle.

Her view brightened a little and she looked down to see what took place. She saw her brother Dan, wandering from shop to shop. He was carrying ingredients that made her blood rise up. She wanted to scold Dan for even being tempted to buy them, but she couldn't.

It was just a dream.

She heard a faint gun shot in the distance. She looked to the side to find her beloved au pair being shot. Amy let out a cry. She tried to run to Nellie, help to the hospital. But she can't.

Her legs couldn't move. She looked down to find herself in quick sand. Nellie's silhouette disappeared from her sight as the sand reached up to her chin. Amy raised her hand and hoped someone would save her. But no one came.

That's when she realized this wasn't a dream.

She was living a nightmare.

Amy's eyes snapped open. She woke up in cold sweat. Sitting up, she surveyed her surroundings. She was in her room.

With a sigh of relief, she started to lie down, only to find her brother asleep. He was sitting on a chair with his head lying on the bed by her left side. An arm leveled the support of his fore head and his other was numb on Amy's finger tips. She slowly leaned down and kissed her brother on the forehead, careful not to wake him up.

He only gave a snort.

A giggle barely escaped her lips before her bedroom door parted open. She jumped in surprise to see Gabby coming in the room with a silver platter filled with medical herbs.

"Oh, you're awake," she whispered to Amy while closing the door. Gabby walked over to her bedside table, opposite of Dan, and placed the tray on the countertop. "I'm glad you're all better, Amy."

"What happened?" she asked softly.

"Something went wrong with the controls. There was a security breach. Mike, Will, and Jade are on it," she said simply, though it was clear from her face that it's not that simple. She was badly shaken up.

_That makes the two of us,_ thought Amy.

With one glance, Gabby asked Amy, "Did you have a bad dream?"

"How—"

"It's a gift," she said, cutting the Cahill's sentence off. "But it was pretty obvious from your bloodshot eyes, sweat coming down from your forehead and your hands gripping the sheets, considering that you've been sleeping soundly for two hours."

Amy blushed. Gabby produced a handkerchief from behind her back and politely handed it to her, which warily accepted. After wiping the last drop of sweat from her brow, she thought of Evan.

"Evan," she muttered. She looked up to see a tiny form on the black-haired girl's lips. "What?"

"You said Evan," she said, her smile growing wider. "You were dreaming about him weren't you?"

Amy blushes glowed ruby red. "It wasn't a dream, like you said," she stammered. "More like a nightmare."

The young girl pressed her hand on top of Amy's. "You could tell. I had my own share of nightmares. Every night."

Amy nodded in agreement. One look from her dark eye, and Amy knew she was telling the truth.

So, Amy repeated her nightmare to Gabby quietly so her brother won't wake. When she finished, Gabby paled, or should Amy say, paler.

Without a response to the story, Gabby stood up and walked right out of the door, slamming it along the way. It jerked Dan from his sleep.

"What? What happened?" Dan's eyes blinked rapidly.

Amy just stared at the door as she shook her head.

* * *

><p>"Come on. Pick up, pick up . . ."<p>

Those were the first few words that caught Ted Starlings attention since the past two hours, even though Hamilton was in front of him, jabbering about what happened this early morning. Correction: Yesterday's early morning. Somehow, though blind, he still knows the time. He wanted to say something, but there's no stopping a Holt when they're on a roll.

". . . thinking that I was still asleep, Jade suddenly picked up my barbell and started lifting it constantly! Man, that girl's real gullible, thinking I'm still asleep after she kept yelling in my ear with her megaphone, but I tell you that she must be a Tomas descendant."

Sinead nodded, totally engaged in the tale. Ted realized this from the silence that was his sister. He rolled his eyes. Hurry up!

"I believe you," she replied. "So, in the beginning, you said that you over heard them in the hall way?"

"Yeah, they were talking outside my room about 'the fifth day'. Like Friday? I didn't get all the conversation because I was doing finger push-ups, but I heard them mention something like, "Don't let them find out about Gabby and . . ." and "Mike's contacts". That's all I heard."

"Interesting," she finally concluded. "Ted, what do you think?" She turned to her side to talk to her brother, but found only empty air.

"I'm over here," the Starling triplet whispered, crouching on the floor with his ear on the door. "And I found something that will prove your theory."

* * *

><p><em>Gabby: Mike, where are you? What's happening over there?<em>

_[Static]_

_Mike: We just finished climbing up to the top. William is fairly exhausted._

_[Thud in the background]_

_Mike: Correction: Highly exhausted. But Jade feels like she could move mountains._

_{Wanna bet on that, Cahill.}_

_Mike: {Oh shut up, you twit and help your lover up.} Now where was I? Oh, right. We just got up here and we're using our GPS phones to locate Mary Anne, but the signal is faint from all the dust clouds. The war is getting worse._

_Gabby: [Panting] I don't care about that, Mike. You have to come back. It's an emergency._

_Mike: What's wrong?_

_Gabby: It's just as I feared. By keeping them in this dimension, they are getting pieces of their future. The longer they stay, the more they know. We have to send them back._

_Mike: That won't be necessary. I figured this would happen so Jade and I made a back-up plan._

_Gabby: Without consulting me?_

_Mike: You were getting too stressed. And I wouldn't want to raise your temper._

_Gabby: [growling] Well, you're raising it now . . ._

_[Static]{Hey, Mike. I got the signal. Gerry is that way.}_

_Mike: Sorry, got to go. Mission to finish._

_Gabby: Wait a minute . . . He hung up. [sarcastic] Thanks, Mike. Love you too._

* * *

><p>"Are you sure those are her exact words?"<p>

"100% positive, Sinead," Ted snapped, his arms crossed as his sister led him to her bed. "How many times do I have to say it?"

Sinead chuckled insanely that it made the two Holts terribly uncomfortable.

"I'm right," she muttered silently, because Ned was snoozing nearby. "I'm right."

"About what? You didn't tell us about your fantastic theory?" Hamilton raised his arms in the air.

Her back was on the Holts and her head spun approximately 90 degrees to the right. "My theory was that they're from the future. Will is Jonah's son, Jade is Dan's daughter and . . ."

"Wait." Hamilton raised his hand, grinning along with his sister, Reagan. "Let me guess, Mike is Amy and Ian's kid?"

"Exactly," Sinead silently replied.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And I'm finished,**

**. . . for now! I'll be back! Promise.**


	21. Grace Part 1

**Chapter 21: Grace Part 1**

The 3rd day of the mission. 21:24:36 hours and counting, GMT.

Normal people might wonder how she could tell all this while caring for seven unconscious people every second. Well, it's because she has a high-tech watch on her left arm that runs on electric currents broadcasted by space satellites which gives the power to show 40 countries' time lines, including the country she's in. It was given to her by a British boy.

She dabbed the damp towel on the forehead of the British boy's cousin, who's one of her best friends. Maybe her only girl best friend ever. Sweat drops rolled down on her hair lines. She hoped she would open her friend's jade eyes, to see her weary-self smiling down at her, but her friend's body temperature burning high and she was badly bruised. No sign of consciousness for the past few hours.

She sighed solemnly for her restless effort to revive the Cahills, who has not yet accomplished its task. Gabby transferred her gentle hands to the British boy himself, Michael Issac Cahill. An action she has been doing several times. She doesn't want to be selfish, but all she wanted was to save him and Jade only.

But, that would mean she would be breaking the vow she made to herself.

She looked at her friend, one of the few people who completely understood her. Who had looked inside of her and didn't run in fear.

He just stared frozen in terror. She laughed in the dark, but her expression stayed sad.

Gabby looked at his body, and shivered. Slashes and cuts. Bruises and burns. Even a broken wrist.

And blood. That vermillion liquid was all that she could see these days. Dried blood on his outfit. It was still bleeding out his skin. It felt like she was looking into a memory from the past.

Probably was.

Snapping back to the problem, she continued her work. "Mike," she said, tears rolling down her cheeks. She dipped her towel on a bucket of hot water and applied it on the huge gash on his forehead. "Please, wake up. Pretty please . . ."

She coughed a crackled sound. Inhale and exhale. She then let out a deep breath of air. Also, she hasn't been taking care of herself. But she didn't care.

Her attention was brought back to the rich boy's face, looking for any indication. Any at all . . .

But no. Not one response. From any of them, for that matter.

After wrapping the huge gash with some of the last cloth left from the first aid kit and wiping the last of her pitiful tears, she headed for the old command center, leaving behind her patients. Her footsteps echoed the abandoned halls. She looked around and saw pictures and certificates framed on the walls. Achievements of the most historical Cahills since the 17th century till this modern age. At the very end, she saw the most recent picture. It was the new trained team of Cahills and their parents. Gabby stifled a laugh at the annoyed figure of Mike bickering with Jade, and their sibling parents trying to control them.

She laughed, remembering that three days ago Mike and Jade were talking about this particular photo while she was extracting the hunters from their dimension.

"_This was right after our training," Jade said behind me as I polished my special glasses. "We were all huddle up with our parents to take our class picture. And I finally convinced Dad to take of his black threads for actual normal wear."_

_Mike's voice filled my ears while I brought out the paper I'm supposed to read. "Uncle borrowed clothes from Father, which is equally strange as Jade hugging me." Jade grudgingly agreed with him, so he continued. "Our fathers were never on the same page, since they were children, as Jade informed me when we long-lost cousins first met."_

"_A day to remember," Jade sighed blissfully. _

"_Right," said Mike uncertainly. "Back to the topic, Jade's father was not really fond of mine and that chasm of hate and rancorous respect grew when Father proposed to my mother. But that was the end of it. Uncle put the happiness of sister first than his suspicions for Father. Now back to the photo, like I said, Father lent him some clothes and everyone thought the rivalry between Uncle and father was over. But . . ."_

"_Let me guess," I said without even turning my head. "You guys got into a huge fight again."_

_Gabby could just imagine them nodding their heads as they prepared the food for our "guests". _

"_Uncle and Mother informed me and Jade, while we were at the point when the camera took the picture, that were going to be partners during real missions," Mike sustained. He chuckled, with Jade joining in after a nanosecond. _

"_It was pretty much chaos after that. We started to fight, our parents tried to calm us down. It resulted with this unforgettable memory, a messed up picture with a foolish wanker and a handsome gentleman as the main characters, and the lack of Father being in it. While Jade and I were, um . . . having a spat, Father tripped with all the commotion going and was hidden by the crowd. He also broke his glasses at the time. But we apologized, yet we're still punsihed. Afterwards, everyone called us the legacy of our fathers' enmity. But my father admitted we were more like the legacy of Mother and Uncle's sibling relationship."_

_He sighed. "He, along with Uncle, repeated that message before we went to New York to recruit you. And that was the last conversation we had with our parents since."_

_Minutes passed in stillness. Jade coughed loudly to break the silence and had nothing more to say, with the exception of "You called me a wanker" in a growling monotone. Then, we responded with laughter._

_Happy laughter, the first since the day we came back to this world._

"Be proud of them," she whispered, her head back to reality. Her fingers touched the cold glass, right where the image of Jade and Mike's sibling parents were being held. "They took that bond from the both of you."

"Hey, Oriental-Caucasian chick," a crackly voice called from the comm. center. "Get your butt over here and tell me that Jade and my cousins are alright."

Shocked by the sudden call, she stumbled back and saw the static face of brown-haired girl on the giant computer screen. The female looked frustrated and tired. Gabby slowly entered the unit, eyeing the mad girl with fear and respect.

"Hey," Gabby said nervously, taking a seat in a revolving chair. "How was the book reading? Did everyone cooperate without me, Jade and Mike?"

"Like that will ever happen," her voice nosily blared out of the speakers.

Gabby managed to laugh at that, despite the mean look that the young Tomas was giving her. "Of course, it will happen. If it didn't, you'd cease to exist."

"Whatever you say, magic girl," she said dejectedly. "I still think this whole thing you're doing with Jade and Mike are nothing but false hope and a waste of food. I mean, seriously, the three of you are reduced to eating left-over food just to satisfy their hunger."

Gabby sighed, not wanting explain their motive to a person she just met. "It's complicated, you know. Everything."

Mandy snorted. "Yeah, that explains it. Tell me some excuse not from the old book, 'kay?" Her expression changed quick as the wind. "So, how are they doing?"

Gabby bowed her head even lower, choking down sobs. "They're still unconscious," she managed to mutter, "but the good news is I managed to clean all their cuts and wounds."

Her head shook so fast that its movement made her pigtails jump, but the main point is she's clearly disappointed by the report. "They should have been smarter than this. Michael should have been smarter than to walk into a Vesper trap."

Gabby winced, and a bit in a loss for words. "They . . . just wanted to . . . you know, save your cousins . . ." Mandy gave her a glare, like she was saying _So, what? _

Finally, Gabby found her voice, but an angry one, which is never good. Thank you, always ever so unexpected mood swings. She slammed her palms on the desk and stood up. "So, you should be grateful to him in trying."

Mandy had enough of being cooperative. She barked through the video chat, "But it should have been me! I should have been the first one there to save them. They're my cousins!"

"They're my cousins too," Gabby reasoned, her nerves hallway through a process of snapping, "and Mike and Jade's. Even Will's. We're Cahills, all of us. So we're responsible for one another."

The girl grunted. "Right, we're a family," she said sarcastically. "Cahills forever . . ."

"Cahills forever," Gabby replied firmly, her death glare resurfacing. Mandy glanced and flinched at the menacing look of Gabby, which she had just seen once outside of the base, when she and Gabby found each other in the Vesper base in search for the others. At least, this look was a bit milder than before.

She scratched the back of her neck then continued. "Did you receive the video feed of the book reading?"

Gabby nodded grimly, showing her the small microchip filled with recorded data for the past year. Her evil gaze didn't leave the Tomas. "It's all in here."

"Good," said Mandy, trying to look away from the Janus' dark eyes. She continued nervously but with a bit of her overconfidence, "Now, while I go to bed on this comfy floor, you go back there and try to wake everyone up. I don't care if you even use those voodoo magic you showed me in the surface to escape the Vespers."

"Fine," Gabby growled, her hand twitching to grab the silver skull hanging from the black choker she was currently wearing, but she held back. Her eyes widened as she realized that her anger almost took over her again. She has to control her temper, as always, or bad things will happen.

Very bad things.

"I'm sorry," Gabby added before standing up and walking out.

"Before you go, Gabrielle," said the girl as Gabby was halfway through the door. Gabby turned, and raised both of her eyebrows, saying a universal _What?_

"Thanks," she awkwardly said, "you know, for getting us out of there. You're okay, for a weird Janus."

"You're welcome," she smiled, the screen turning black a second later.

Gabby had to admit to herself while walking back to the emergency room that the other Cahills are not as bad as she anticipated, though they misunderstand me. Then, the thought of Will crashing into her during the other time she was in the surface came back to her mind.

"Okay," she laughed with uncertainty. "Maybe some are as bad as they seem."

But, the rest are fine with her. Just fine.

She sighed, looking at the cataleptic Cahills she has to take care. She did a count off, just to make sure they're all there, inside a big dusty chamber like it was abandoned for 10 years with no working lights. She switched on her flash light.

"Mike is present," — she announced to the dark in melancholy, shinning the light on a charred commando body with lots of bandages — "Mary Anne," — shinned on a girl about 19-years-old with brown chopped hair — "Geronimo Edison," — on a orange-headed sleepy-looking brute — "Harold Albert and Clarintha Eloise," — on a pair of fraternal twins, side by side with the only thing identical in their body is their golden hair — "Will," — shinned on a tall boy with a huge bandage around his right leg — "and . . . Jade?"

She was gone.

"Oh, no," Gabby breathed. She bent down, investigating anything that might lead to Jade's sudden disappearance. Her mat is still warm and there was no sign of a struggle, but there were footprints. She reached down and took a sample of the print with her finger to her nose. She sniffed and gagged.

Very muddy footprints.

She flashed her torch***** across the room and saw the path of footprints led towards the bathroom. Her mystery (and the effort of taking even one person a bath) has been solved.

Gabby grinned and sat down on dusty metal chair. Twenty minutes passed and a girl comes out, with colorful wet hair, a grey shirt, blue hoodie, a towel turban and all.

"Good morning, Gabs," said Jade in a cheerful voice. "And stop calling them by their first and middle names. Identify them by their nicknames: Mary, Gerry, Harry, and Clary. Don't mind them if they protest. That's the whole fun of calling them that.

Gabby stared and stayed silent after Jade's random advice. After what seemed like hours, she stood up, walked over to her friend . . . and gave her a hug.

It wasn't like those hugs, where a person just awkwardly wraps their arms around the other and just pats them on the back saying, "I'm glad you're well." OR you tightly squeeze them and cry like a blubbering idiot. It was a hug of kindness and security. Like the ones mothers give to their kids, after healing a wound, a broken heart, or a bad experience. It's the hug that gives you comfort, that everything will be okay. In the end.

Jade responded the hug by hugging back. Gabby sniffed but no tears came out. Not one. Maybe it's because she ran out. She didn't care, really. But the irony of the whole scene was the fact that it was Jade. She, the awesome, fearless, and strong Jade, was crying out tears instead of poor, timid Gabby.

"Hey, it's okay," Gabby said, trying to soothe the blonde girl's tears. "Everything will be alright, I promise."

Jade did a noise between a laugh and a moan. Gabby rubbed her hand across her back and hummed a tune. The two girls started to sway.

"Gabby," Jade cried.

"Yeah, Jade," she answered.

Jade broke off the hug and showed her watery yet sassy smirk. She pointed out with an uneasy tone, "Do you think this would be a cool survivor scar?" Gabby's eyes darted to a long cut that ran across her left side of the neck to her right shoulder blade.

Gabby nodded, a grimace appearing on her friend's face. And by reflex, Gabby took out her handkerchief and wiped the dripping mascara from Jade's cheeks.

"You do know it's like 9:53, right? You missed the book reading," Gabby said simply. Jade's green eyes widened in alarm.

"But, you did continue the—"

The dark-haired girl muttered a no. "Sorry, I didn't lead it. All of you were injured so I had to make a rain check on our current mission. You should probably thank me for that stitch I made for your survivor scar. But you'll be surprised on who did lead it."

"Who?" Jade pressed.

Gabby smiled as Jade smiled when she uttered Jade's long time friend. "Mandy. Amanda Callyx."

* * *

><p>"Man," Jade marveled, taking a sip of her hot chocolate drink. "I missed all the action. Did I look that lame when I was knocked out?"<p>

"No," Gabby lied in the company of strong prominence, hiding her smile as she entered the old Janus studio, which is now turned into their break and snack room, with her own cup of cocoa on her right hand and a black laptop under her left arm. "You didn't look lame at all."

Jade smirked, as she sat down beside her. "You know, since the day I first met you in your messy apartment, lying is a skill you _still _haven't mastered."

"Well, you know me, Jade. I was born with the values of my mother," Gabby replied, placing the computer on her lap.

"A thing we should fix," Jade said in mid-gulps. "Badly. If the Vespers catch you and interrogate the info out of your honest little mouth, don't blame me for not teaching you."

The mysterious girl laughed, almost menacingly. "You know me, I'll take my chances." Jade rolled her eyes in irritation and amusement.

It would have been just like that. Two pre-teens inside a dark room with torches for their only source of light just sitting on a worktable surrounded by a hundreds of abandoned paintbrushes and weapons, drinking, just hanging out and living life to the fullest.

But, important matters need to be attended to.

"Okay," Gabby heaved a sigh, setting down her mug on the floor. She opened the laptop and searched for the right file. When she was in the brink of clicking the long video, she asked the Madrigal, "Do you want to see the recording? It's good to monitor what happened so we could see the damage Mandy has given to this mission."

Jade giggled and nodded. With that, the screen flickered to life.

* * *

><p><strong>BOLD – Wordsnarratives from the book**  
>Normal Text – Wordsnarratives from the video  
><em>Italics – Words spokennarratives from the watchers (Gabby/Jade)_

* * *

><p>The security camera was located on the top corner in front of the metal stools, so the camera could see everything. The girls first saw static, but it cleared a few seconds later. They peered at the medium screen and saw the Clue hunters, sleeping in their personal leather settee.<p>

"_Wait, how did they get there?" Jade asked, not looking at Gabby's smug face._

Suddenly, Gabby and Mandy out of the shadows on the right corner of the screen. And Mandy was carrying her father like he was a fluffy teddy bear.

_Jade turned to Gabby, who was wearing an amused expression. "I used up all the sleeping powder just to get them there," Gabby said._

_After laughing momentarily, she reverted back to the screen._

Mandy took out Jade's megaphone and clicked on. "Cover your ears, girl."

Gabby obliged, sticking her fingers inside her ear holes.

_Jade crossed her arms and gave her friend "the look". _

_Gabby shrugged and said, "She wanted to use it."_

"_Uh-huh," Jade summed up with no convinced tone, which was given a hasty "Honest" from her friend._

Mandy took a deep a deep breath and yelled on the top of her young yet strong lungs, "GET UP, ALL OF YOU LADIES OR I SWEAR I WILL MAKE THE REST OF THIS DAY INTO A HELL HOLE LIKE YOU LIVED DURING THE BATTLE FIELD OFWORLD WAR TWO! AND I'LL MAKE SURE NONE OF YOU HAVE ANY FOOD BUT PASTA!"

Eyes snapped open by that call, particularly Dan, who probably had another bad dream about the serum. Jade mentioned her father's nightmares once to Gabby, and her pity and respect grew for the Cahill siblings. They were so afraid and vulnerable when their past and the past of the Cahill family was revealed to them in a young age, but they manage to live another day with nothing but scars in their heart. Gabby hardly managed to take it in without the help of Jade and Mike, and indirect info from both of her parents.

Amy and Dan went through the hardship and pain all on their own, with their branch selfishly helping them in the background.

"_You want to fast forward, Jade?" asked Gabby, as the video showed everyone unsteadily woke up from their sleep. "It's nothing but introductions here."_

_Her friend nodded and clicked on the fast forward button. We watched humorously as the people moved quicker, their expressions so priceless when they saw Mandy. Dan and Mandy were auguring while Gabby explained the situation to Amy. The Kabras were watching the quarrel with what were probably whispers. Jonah was still dazed by the current situation they were in and . . . _

"_Wait," Gabby yelled. "Pause it now."_

_Jade followed and the screen stopped at the direction of the Starlings and the Holts. From their calm yet serious expressions and open mouths, it looked like they were in actual speaking terms. Mostly with Hamilton and Sinead._

"_What happened last night?" Jade asked, stunned by the video's screenshot. Gabby shrugged, equally surprised._

"_Do you want to find out?" Gabby suggested, with her finger positioned and ready to play the recording. _

_Jade rolled her eyes. "Did you even need to ask?"_

_Without another reply, Gabby pushed the button and Jade typed in the code. The screen adjusted zoomed in on the older pair. Jade flashed a thumb._

"_Alright, now we can hear their conversation," the blonde/pink/black-haired girl announced proudly. "My computer skills are way awesome!"_

_In Gabby's mind, she reluctantly agreed. _

". . . she looks just like your siblings, Hamilton," whispered Sinead, staring at Mandy. "And she has the attitude of the Holt, too."

Nodding, Hamilton looked dead serious about the new occurrence. "Yeah. And if your theory last night was correct—"

"It is," Sinead hissed, her brothers not even bothering to support her because they were observing the fight between Reagan and Madison on who Mandy looks more alike. Well, Ned was the one observing through his eyes.

"If it is," Hamilton emphasized, "then who are her parents? And who are the parents of Gabby?"

"I don't know," Sinead answered. "But we'll find out . . ."

_Silence was filled in the studio. Jade paused the video without warning, but Gabby didn't argue. The situation was now direr than before. The two girls completely understood their dilemma. Now, all they have to do is decided._

"_We are not telling Mike," Jade called out as the same time Gabby remarked, "Let's tell your cousin when he wakes up."_

_The girls looked at each other and yelled a loud "NO" concurrently._

"_We can't tell Mike, Gabby," Jade said. "He'll murder us for sure. Even though I say all the time that he's a total wimp, he has knives with poison in the core. And I was never good with hand-eye coordination."_

"_We need to tell him," Gabby demanded fiercely. Jade diverted from the glaring eyes._

"_Fine," she answered. A second later, a smirk appeared. "If he wakes up, that is."_

"_I—" _

"_That's final."_

_A sigh and a grimacing smile. That's all that Gabby gave her friend._

_Jade turned her attention back to the screen. "Let's just skip that part and go directly to the book reading. We already have enough things to worry about."_

_Gabby nodded, but her brows were still creased. "But, if they ever find out who my parents are . . ."_

"_No one will ever find out," Jade said._

"_But, Will knows about my powers and Mandy got a glimpse of it in action. The hunters have already seen my umbra kinesis gift."_

_Jade chuckled menacingly. "Did you forget what we're supposed to do in the end of this whole mission?"_

_Gabby thought for a moment, then a relieved expression appeared on her face. "Oh, right."_

After the introductions to their new host, Gabby left the scene the usual way, leaving behind a long (and, she means LOOOONG) table full of food and drinks. But for the protection from Dan, Hamilton, his sisters, and Mandy, Gabby took precautions.

If one of the hunters, particularly the Ekats available, were to observe the table closely, it had a force field projector inside its wooden material that's counting down to a proper time for snack break. And if someone even touched the force field, well, consider them fried chicken.

"Alright," Mandy shouted, her voice echoing around the white chamber, "let's get this over with."

Mandy threw the book at Reagan, who caught it like it was a harmless blade of grass.

Reagan opened the folded page and started to read.

* * *

><p>"<strong>GRACE CAHILL; 1942<strong>," Reagan read.

Amy and Dan gasped.

"Grace . . ." Grace's grandchildren were getting anxious about what was to come in this story.

**1942. Most of the world was at war. In every corner of the globe, people were fighting and dying for one cause or another.**

Amy made a frown, guessing that their ancestral family caused it.

_Gabby and Jade felt the same way._

**And what was Grace Cahill doing at this critical moment in her planet's history?**

Reagan chuckled and closed the book, leaving her thumb as a mark for the page. "Guess?"

Mandy shrugged. "Don't care, just continue."

"Don't tell my sister what to do," Madison retorted.

When Mandy caught Madison's eye, her face showed sympathy. "Fine."

Sinead was now in profound contemplation. Hamilton saw her, and followed the same example, resulting to a major migraine.

**Changing diapers.**

"What?" Dan said, laughing at the absurd idea.

_Jade was rolling on the floor, laughing. Gabby was just holding in her giggles._

Amy, however, knew what that meant.

"Dan," Amy warned, as he took his place at her side once more.

"I know. Stop being a dweeb."

Amy smiled at her brother.

_**Not diapers—nappies**_**, she corrected herself, deftly fastening a large safety pin at each of the child's small hips. Here in Europe they used British term.**

"She lived in Europe?" Natalie asked.

"She said diapers first, pampered princess," Dan reasoned. "That means she lived in America first. USA!"

The some were perplexed. The Kabras rolled their eyes.

"That's . . . right?" Ian said uncertainly. "Logically, of course."

Dan punched the air, showing the pride of his amusing knowledge.

**Baby Fiske burped loudly and tried to wiggle out of her grasp. Grace held on with a firm hand.**

"Oh," Dan realized slowly. "Now I get it. Uncle Fiske."

"I felt Grace's pain," Amy said, hiding a good-humored beam. Dan waved the comment off, but he was actually flattered. It doesn't take years of work and practice from a Madrigal to get a family member's irritation approval.

**Parts of the lawn at her family's villa in Monte Carlo were so steeply sloped that a wayward toddle might roll all the way down the bluff and drop into the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean.**

**She called him Kamikaze sometimes, after those crazy pilots from the**_**other**_**war—the one in the Pacific. Fiske always seemed to be looking for some great peril to hurl himself into.**

"Kamikaze. Uncle Kamikaze." Dan grinned. "That could work."

"_Yep," Jade said. "Cahill boys are a handful."_

"_Speak for your father," Gabby remarked._

**The little stinker was walking, so it had become nearly impossible to keep him out of trouble. He was a year old now. Grace could scarcely believe it had been that long since . . .**

**She had gotten good at fighting back tears. Her stomach, though, was harder to control. She recognized the feeling from her flying lessons—the sensations of hitting an air pocket and dropping five hundred feet in a matter of seconds. She experienced it on solid ground every time she thought of her mother.**

Amy hardly heard about Grace's parents, but what she heard was nothing but pained memories.

Maybe she'll find out why.

**"****You had a healthy baby son," the doctor had informed James Cahill, "but your wife..." He said more, but their father's raw, tortured breathing filled in the blanks for Grace and her older sister, Beatrice.**

"And the mention of the witch ruins everything."

Amy rolled her eyes at Dan. But the others find this all amusing, especially Mandy.

_From Mandy's expression, she had to reflect on past memories. "That's her expression at the mention of Mike's aunt."_

_Gabby gave a confused but respectful smile._

**Father shed not a single tear over the death of his wife, but he was never the same, His reaction seemed more appropriate to a record-setting marathon run than an expression of grief—hyperventilation and drenching sweats.**

**Not that the Cahill daughters had much opportunity to develop an instinct for their father's emotions. The time he had spent in Monte Carlo since the funeral could be measured in days, possibly hours. James Cahill was so devastated by the loss of his wife that he wouldn't even look at his newborn son.**

Reagan slowed down the reading. The whole idea was sad to her. To all of them.

**He had turned to travel, as if trying to outrun his grief. The family had not heard from him in months, save for the occasional postcard from exotic locales—Rio de Janeiro, Baffin Island, Ulaanbaatar.**

"What? I have _never_ heard of those places," Dan said.

"Of course, you haven't," Ian muttered. "Rio de Janeiro is located in Brazil."

"Baffin Island is in Canada," Alistair continued.

"And Ulaanbaatar is in Mongolia," Sinead finished.

"You had to say it, Cahill," Dan said to himself.

**Baby Fiske yanked a croquet hoop out of the ground, and Grace barely managed to wrest it from his hands before he could plunge the ends into his eyes. How was it possible to love a child so deeply when he was the author of all the suffering in your life? His birth had cost Grace her mother. And it was costing Grace her father, too.**

"She still loved her anyway," Amy muttered, feeling proud of her grandmother's strength.

**The picture of James Cahill walking out of the door was permanently impressed on her retinas. He'd claimed to be leaving on business "for a few days." But his vast pile of luggage—enough to require a second taxi to follow him to the airfield—revealed the lie. **

"It's pretty obvious," Jonah said, feeling a bit sad that Will was not beside him. And he doesn't know why.

**She could still feel Father's arms around her as he said good-bye. He'd seemed like a drowning man holding on to a life preserver. Beatrice had noticed the same thing.**

**Then he was gone—without so much as a sideways glance at the bassinet that held his infant son.**

**Fiske reached for the croquet hoop, howling in frustrations as Grace held it just beyond his grasp.**

"He really was like you," Natalie said, finally saying what everyone was thinking.

"How is that?" Jonah asked.

"I think it's because that they were both troublemakers," Amy snickered at her brother. "Which is true, by the way."

"None taken, sis," Dan said sarcastically.

**She scooped him up in her arms and carried him, kicking and screaming, to the main house. Someday, she told herself, her brother would be a contributing member of society. Just as someday this war would be over, and someday Father would come home. That was what had become: too many**_**somedays**_**; not enough**_**nows**_**.**

**"****How can you take care of that little beast?" came a sharp voice behind her.**

"Here comes the Bloody," Dan started.

"Aunt Beatrice," Amy finished.

**Grace wheeled. She hadn't seen Beatrice standing by the doorway.**

**"****Someone has to," Grace replied. "Giselle won't. Leave it to Father to abandon us with a useless governess."**

**"****How dare you speak that way of Father?" Beatrice snapped. "Did you expect him to go on as if nothing happened? He lost his wife."**

**"****And we lost our mother," Grace put in.**

**Beatrice pointed an accusing finger at her brother. "Thanks to**_**him**_**!"**

"I see why Aunt Beatrice didn't even mention the existence of her own brother," Amy said, having mixed feelings. "But, at least, Fiske has Grace."

"_Had,_" Dan corrected. Amy nodded grimly, remembering that the Grace Cahill they know as their grandmother is gone.

**Grace hugged Fiske, shielding him from the acid in their sister's words. Could Beatrice blame a baby for what had happened to their mother? Or was it that the older girl was so miserable herself that she had to make everyone else miserable as well? The sisters had never been close. Yet since Edith Cahill's death, the chasm between them had grown ever wider.**

"It must have taken a lot of money to convince the Bloody baron to take us in," Dan spoke up suddenly.

"A lot," Mandy agreed, sucking on a cherry-lollipop. Dan and Hamilton's stomach groaned in frustration.

**Didn't Beatrice see that Grace was suffering, too? That Grace would have given anything to reverse the events of the past year—to bring Mother back, to undo the pain that was tearing the family apart and had already driven Father away? The one thing she wouldn't change was Fiske. How could Beatrice not love the bundle of giggles and mischief?**

"Mischievous," Amy giggled. "Uncle Fiske was mischievous. Hardly."

Ned scoffed. "What about tricking you guys since your birth about your branch's identity and the fact that he didn't exist?"

"Point taken," the Cahill siblings replied grumpily.

**Motherless—and basically fatherless, too. James Cahill hadn't bothered to name his only son. He had left that to Beatrice.**_**Fiske**_**. **

"Well," Amy said. "At least, she wasn't bad at naming babies."

**It was Beatrice's secret revenge on her brother, condemning him to a childhood of fistfights and taunting.**

Realizing what she said earlier, Amy added, "I stand corrected. But really, it's not such a bad name."

**Grace ran her fingers through the little boy's fine blond hair. **

Everyone looked at Dan's hair and were a little freaked out how similar he was with Fiske Cahill. Dan didn't notice a thing.

**This hellion was the only good thing that had happened to them in a long time.**

**Fiske repaid the sentiment with a kick to her stomach that sent her reeling. His feet were already pumping like pistons by the time she dropped him. Teetering unsteadily, he ran out the door to his croquet hoop and who knew what other dangers.**

Mandy and the Holts snickered.

**With an apologetic glance at her sister, Grace followed.**

"And page break," Reagan concluded. She passed the book to her brother Hamilton.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: YAHOO! I'm done!**

***flashlight**


	22. Grace Part 2

**Chapter 22: Grace Part 2 **

"**Sleep did not come easily to Grace these days,**" Hamilton read, then chortled. "Well, duh. War is going on."

That statement got Amy worried. It was crystal clear in her finger movements.

"_Don't worry, Amy," Gabby muttered, looking up the ceiling. "Grace is not alone. We are fighting for our freedom, too."_

**It had started with the bombing across the border in France.**

"I bet the other wars will be like dust bunnies playing with matchsticks compared to the fight the Cahills are going to have with the Vespers," Dan in jest, though there was nothing amusing of the situation.

Mandy's frown twitched in annoyance.

_What's wrong? Gabby sent a expression message to Jade, who was sipping her cup of cocoa._

_Jade let out a sigh. "Her dad, along with my dad and Uncle Fancy-pants," she paused, just to see Gabby roll her eyes. Jade think Gabby gets the message that "Uncle Fancy-pants" is Mike's father. "They're the generals for this bloody war. She's just worried about her dad."_

_Jade looked down at the cold dusty floor. "I'm worried, too, about her dad. She's like my second dad, since I've lived in their house for what, like, 4-5 years tops."_

_Gabby patted her back sympathetically, but her support cannot fill Jade's heart._

_The two girls have lost their mothers by the same evil organization, Vespers. Jade vowed vengeance and Gabby left all her anger to her. But, it didn't seem right._

_Jade knew all along about the history of the Cahills and understood why her mother died, while Gabby just found out recently 4 months ago and the one person she trusted, her mother Coral didn't even bother to explain. She left that to Gabby's trainers. _

_Gabby should be the one angry. The furious one for being betrayed._

_But, she can't. Her mother, she had to remind herself regularly, has passed and there will be consequences if her anger shall be unleashed once more._

_Jade, after her mom's death, was raised instead by the love of her distant but communicating father and her cousins. Gabby was raised by the love of her mother and the books she used to read to her. With her mom gone, Jade was still able to live. With her mom gone, Gabby's nothing but empty shell, carried by Mike and Jade._

_Where is her father in this picture? Gabby's 'dad' is down in hell._

_"Gabby," Jade yelled, clutching her wrist, before it touched the silver skull. "You okay, dude. You were whispering something."_

_Gabby yanked her wrist off of her grip. "I'm fine," she snapped._

_Jade stared at her uncertainly._

**They were safe—Monaco was neutral so far, and even France had quieted under German occupation. But slumber continued to elude her.**

**Clad in her nightdress, she gazed out the window at the dark Mediterranean. From the nursery in the next room came the buzz saw of Fiske's snoring. Another quality Beatrice found so endearing.**

Dan and Amy chuckled.

"No surprise there," Dan said in between laughs.

**Enlarged adenoids.**

**Grace frowned. There was a second sound—a low rumble—distinct from her brother's.**

**An outboard motor? She remembered the times when a pleasure craft dotted the sea, day and night. Now it was too dangerous. France was under German control, and Italy was only ten miles away.**

**Yet when she squinted into the gloom she could make out a small boat a few hundred yards off shore, almost directly opposite of their villa. A weak flicker was coming from the wheelhouse.**

_**Are their lights not working? **_**Grace wondered. **_**And now they're lost in the dark?**_

**During wartime, wandering off course could be a fatal mistake.**

**And then she recognized the pattern of short and long flashes.**

"It's Morse code," Dan and Hamilton cried out.

_"That's so hard to learn,' Gabby admitted._

_Jade looked at her incredulously. "It is?"_

**Her eyes widened. This was not the product of any guttering lamp. It was something she'd learned from her father several summers ago.**

**Morse code.**

Dan flashed a proud smile.

**It took a moment to decipher the opening salvo of dots and dashes.**

**JC**

**James Cahill! The message was for her father!**

"Isn't he away for some 'family' business?" Reagan asked.

"The people contacting him probably don't know," Sinead answered.

**She scrambled for a pencil and paper, converting the dots and dashes into language as she expertly transcribed the message. She'd been only seven or eight when he'd taught her, yet she didn't miss a single letter. Beatrice received high praise and high marks from their private tutor,**

"Beatrice?" Dan asked in bewilderment.

"We don't know her," Amy explained, "though she has been our guardian for seven years."

**but Grace was the sister whose quick and nimble mind was capable of occasional brilliance. This wasn't boasting; it was simply the truth.**

**VS KNOW ABOUT BULLS EYE . . . GO TO WHITE HOUSE AM . . . FIND GSP . . .**

"The 'VS' obviously means Vesper," Ian supplied, "considering this is entitled the 'Vespers Rising'."

"What does the rest mean?" Mandy stipulated.

They all shrugged their shoulders.

**A pause. Was that all of it?**

**The Morse code resumed:**

**TORCH IS MORE THAN IT SEEMS . . .**

**She peered out, waiting breathlessly for the rest. More flashes came, and her wrist jumped to action. But no—it was merely the message repeating.**

**At last, the motors swelled and the small craft began to move off.**

_**Come back! **_**she wanted to scream. **_**What does it all mean?**_

**A final burst of code:**

**PROTECT THE RING AT ALL COST**

_Gideon's ring_, Amy thought. _This will be the time when she gets the ring._

**"****What ring?" she said aloud. But the boat was gone.**

**She had no idea what any of it meant, but one thing was certain: The people on that boat believed they were communicating with James Cahill.**

"Duh," Natalie said, earning a glare from Dan.

**Grace had not lived to the ripe old of thirteen without realizing that there was something special about Father's family. Her parents had told her Beatrice how Cahills had shaped human history for centuries. Some of the most famous people of all time were cousins**—**Shakespeare, Mozart, Abraham Lincoln, and even Babe Ruth.**

Dan's eyes popped out. "Whoa, seriously? Babe Ruth is a Cahill?"

"'Course," Hamilton replied. "He's Tomas. And legendary one, too."

"My eyes," Dan breathed, "have been opened."

His sister (_and Jade_) mentally facepalmed.

**Secret words had passed between her parents in whisper—**_**Lucian, **_

The Kabras smirked.

_**Janus,**_

Jonah did that gun thing and made _tchick _sound at Mandy. She looked at him like she was offended by that act.

_**Tomas,**_

The Holts showed of their muscles.

_**Ekaterina,**_

The Starlings smiled.

**and one that seemed especially mysterious, **_**Madrigal**_**. **

Dan grinned ear to ear while Amy pondered over the statement.

"She doesn't know she's a Madrigal yet," she muttered under her breath.

**There was also a number that kept coming up—39. It had been Father's football number at Harvard, but Grace suspected it meant much, much more.**

"No way," Dan said. "Great-granddad is a football player. And his number is 39."

"The irony," Ian admitted casually with a derisive tone in the end.

**Grace didn't know the specifics of Cahills business—just that James and Edith Cahill had been up to their neck in it. But now she suspected that when Mother died, James had abandoned his Cahill responsibilities along with his children. The people on that boat were trying to communicate with an agent who had dropped out. Another vital role was going unfulfilled.**

"If every agent did that," Ted started, scratching her nose.

"The world wouldn't be as half as great as it is today," Ned continued, sarcastically saying so.

"Agreed," Sinead concluded, patting Ned's head.

**She stared at the cryptic words on the pad. The message made as much sense to her as Fiske's childish burbling. VS—somebody initials? No, then it would be **_**VS KNOWS**_**. This was **_**VS KNOW**_**. So the Vs had to be a group of people. But who?**

"Dur." Dan slumped back in his chair.

_**BULLS EYE**_**—a direct hit. In a war, that could mean almost anything. **_**GO TO THE WHITE HOUSE**_**. Surely not the one where the president lived?**

_**AM**_**—as in morning? Or that could be initials, too. Also **_**GSP**_**. Were these people or things? More confusing still, **_**TORCH **_**and **_**RING**_**—two random items.**

**She opened her bedroom door and stepped out into the hall. Beatrice would know what to do. She was two years older, and Beatrice was the one their parents had been grooming for a major role in the Cahill family.**

"She never appeared on a list of identified Cahill agents that I've seen in our database," Ned stated.

"Because your database is insufficient," Natalie sniffed sourly. Sinead balled her fists.

Amy stood up unsteadily. "No fighting, you guys."

The two girls huffed but they didn't argue with her.

Amy smiled and somehow caught Ian's proud stature as he gazed at her.

She blushed and turned away, sitting down with her irritated brother.

**Grace had only been included when it turned out that her sister had no stomach for flying lessons.**

**Beatrice always had a fuller understanding of the sudden trips their parents used to take on urgent Cahill matters. Maybe she could decipher the strange communication.**

**"****Bea?"**

"Bea?" Dan half-laughed, half-yelled. "She was worthy of a nickname?"

"Expect the unexpected, yo," came Jonah's reply.

**She peeked into her sister's room. "Are you asleep?"**

**"****I **_**was**_**," came the reply. No one expressed annoyance more thoroughly than Beatrice Cahill. And she had plenty of practice at it. Everything annoyed her.**

"Beatrice," Amy and Dan muttered unpleasantly.

**"****I have to show you something." Grace told her sister of that boat that had come, flashed its message, and disappeared just as abruptly. "Here—I'm turning on the light."**

**Blinking in discomfort, Beatrice sat up in bed and examined the paper Grace proffered. "It's gibberish."**

**"****Gibberish doesn't come in Morse code," Grace insisted. "It was meant for Father."**

**"****Anybody with a message for Father should know that he hasn't lived here for more than a year," Beatrice retorted.**

**"****Not if it's a Cahill thing," Grace argued. "The family is scatter around the world. Father might have been keeping in touch with them some other way. You understand more about Cahill business than I do."**

**"****I understand enough about Cahill business to stay well out of it," Beatrice said caustically. "There's nothing about that lot that interests me."**

"She's just scared," Amy answered everyone's questions.

"Yeah, who isn't into world power?" Hamilton asked sarcastically, yet no one gave him a response.

**"****Maybe this is about the war! What if Father and his contacts could help put a stop to it?" Nothing would take precedence over that. Millions had died already, and the conflict only seemed to be spreading.**

**"****Whatever it is you **_**think **_**you know about Cahills, let me set you straight. Our family has wasted centuries playing foolish games, stabbing each other in the back and reading all sort of meaning into meaningless things. If one more coded message shows up for Father, I think I'll scream."**

**Grace stiffened like a pointer. "There were others?"**

**Her sister shrugged derisively. "I don't waste my time trying to decipher every moonbeam."**

**"****But, Beatrice," Grace pleaded, "you're the one Mother and Father chose to share the secrets of our family with. Don't you want that?"**

"I do," Ian and Natalie whispered in chorus. They looked at each other for a moment then twisted their heads away.

"_I do," Gabby said undertone._

**"****What I want," Beatrice said firmly, "is to be a regular, normal person. The Cahill would isn't normal. I intend to ignore the whole thing. And if you know what's good for you"—she cast her sister a sharp look—"you'll follow my example. Now, go to sleep!"**

**Grace looked into her sister's eyes. There was another emotion there, concealed by Beatrice's perpetually sour face.**

**Fear.**

**She couldn't decipher the message any more than Grace could. But one thing Beatrice **_**did **_**understand was that high stakes meant high risks. She wanted no part of the Cahill world because it scared her to death.**

"Knew it," Dan said, but he called it out in a shaky behavior, as if he was unsure about Beatrice.

Or himself.

**Grace withdrew, more disappointed than angry. As usual, there was no talking to Beatrice, who was an immovable mountain when she made up her mind about something.**

**She looked around at the sumptuously furnished home. Their villa in Monte Carlo was spacious and luxurious, with vast banks of windows that, in daylight, provided breathtaking views of both the mountains and the sea. It had cost millions, and it was only one of five similar residences James Cahill owned around the globe.**

"So, one was in Switzerland," Amy looked back.

"And another was in Monte Carlo," Dan finished.

"I think we are going to learn about the rest of the dwellings," Ian said, "soon enough."

_They had no idea._

**The wealth alone spoke of their family's power, but money was only part of the story. The huge house was filled with artwork and artifacts Mother and Father had collected on their extended travels. These hailed from all continents—from every remote corner of the map. Perhaps Beatrice could ignore all this proof of the Cahills' special role in human history, but not Grace. The world was in chaos.**

Mandy grumbled. "That didn't change."

Only Hamilton heard this.

And Ted.

But it mostly impacted Hamilton. He sorta recognized that serious look that Mandy was showing, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

**Father had taken himself out of the picture, and his elder daughter had chosen to do likewise. The mantle must fall to Grace.**

_**I have to do this myself.**_

"Alright!"

Everybody, with the exception of the people who thinks _he_ is alright, rolled their eyes

**Her eyes traveled to the paper and her resolved mingled with unease. Willingness to do something wasn't the same as knowing what needed to be done.**

**She set her jaw. Her mother's death; her father's disappearance—these were things beyond her control. Her immediate family was unraveling, but **_**this **_**part of it**—**her parents' involvement with the Cahill clan—could still be saved.**

_**If **_**she could decipher the cryptic message.**

**The question remained: How?**

"Page break," Hamilton announced, and then he passed the book to Madison.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I do not own anything you've seen or heard in real life.**

**Woohoo! My school fair is tomorrow and I'm totally PUMPED! I got my Egyptian magician costume and props. My friends are there and a concert is lining up. Hope you guys like this chapter, because the next ones will be pretty serious.**


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